A BARKS PUBLICATION
JANUARY 2021 / $5
Electrical Apparatus More than Motors
Hiring during a pandemic Finding the right person for the job in trying times Robots in construction Form vs. random windings Five-year index of articles Management during Covid On-the-job monitoring
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Fast Forward
8 Smarter construction with robots
The construction business is notoriously slow to adopt technology, but new start-ups and inventions have builders considering the advantages of automation By Selena Cotte, EA Managing Editor
— Canvas image
01/21
Contents
A BARKS PUBLICATION VOLUME 74 / NUMBER 01 WWW.BARKS.COM
08
Business Management
19 Hiring through a pandemic
Trying to find the right fit for your shop is difficult enough under ‘normal’ circumstances. Add in a restrictive and uncertain pandemic, and it’s even tougher. By Selena Cotte, EA Managing Editor
Motor Performance
23 Form wound versus random wound: Is there a choice?
23
— Electrical Apparatus file photo
Selecting one over the other will inevitably involve some trade-offs With trilingual summary By Richard L. Nailen, EA Engineering Editor
Index of Articles
29 Annual five-year index of articles
Feature articles that have appeared in EA over the past half-decade By the Electrical Apparatus staff
More Than Accounting
35 Success in the Year of Covid-19
Flexibility and planning are key to surviving in tough times and flourishing in good By William H. Wiersema, CPA, EA Contributing Editor
Pump It Up
38 Intelligent pumps: What’s new in 2021
41
— Photo by Petter Lagson on Unsplash
The latest in digital pump monitoring and control is poised to lift intelligent pumping to the next level By Kevin Jones, EA Senior Editor
Electric Avenue
39 The trans-Pacific EV competition is heating up
Three Chinese manufacturers of electric vehicles recently reported a surge in product deliveries, but will the surge be felt outside of China? By Kevin Jones, EA Senior Editor
Plant Life
41 On-the-job monitoring: are there no limits?
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As R&D advances, data collection is more personal than ever By Elizabeth Van Ness, EA Publisher
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04 The editor’s comment
A new year ahead — and we couldn’t do it without you
05 Let’s solve your problem
— Siemens photo
Departments Motor life, grease longevity, and overvoltage alarms
06 Associations
Associations are entering new alliances
09 Business
Power system control providers taking it to the edge
10 Clean energy
GM Bolt recall, renewables on the desert, and ‘green’ hydrogen
09
12 Training & education
Embedding credentials within bachelors degrees
13 Speaking of . . .
Birds versus wind turbines revisited
13 Calendar
Events on motors, drives, automation, and water management
— TerraScale photo
10
14 OEMs on the move
Expansions for textile and hand tool plants
14 Product showcase
What’s new from LK Metrology, Fanuc, and Platinum Tools
15 Know your industry
How ETA International places skills over degrees
17 In case you missed it
Emerging and expanding markets, and 5G for manufacturing
18 Names & faces
Appointments at SME, NEMA, and Nortech Systems
42 Utilities
Target for “decarbonization” isn’t soon enough for some
42
— Photo by Alexander Khodarev / picspress
43 Classified advertising
Your monthly marketplace for equipment, businesses, and more
43 Cy’s Super Service
The electrical service industry’s most prominent curmudgeon
45 EA puzzle
A crossword puzzle based on EA’s November and December issues
47 Moe, Genny & friends
The surreal world of an anthropomorphized motor and generator
48 Direct & current
Balmac ceases operations and offshored jobs come back home
48 Advertising index
Who’s who—and who’s where—in this issue of Electrical Apparatus
COVER PHOTO: By Layco Electric Innovations.
2 ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | JANUARY 2021
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Motors that are as tough as they are reliable. Drives that can withstand the elements. By combining the power of invention with our expertise and desire for a better world, we imagine things that have never been – and make them a reality. We are Toshiba.
Connecting our solutions to your possibilities.
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The Editor’s Comment
SELENA COTTE WWW.BARKS.COM SCOTTE@BARKS.COM
A new year ahead—and we couldn’t do it without you Every “new year” address goes on about the potential ahead of us, how we can make this year even better than the last. In the aftermath of a particularly turbulent 2020, this message is amplified tenfold. Already, we see the semblance of a sunrise ahead, a slow but sure return to the world we once lived in. And many are eager for peace of mind, at the very least. But we are not there yet, and it will never be the same world. I do not say this as a negative, because many have come together to take great and innovative strides toward safety and productivity. Here at Electrical Apparatus, we covered in detail the ways the electrical community handled the virus, how you helped your communities, changed your daily routines, and kept the world turning. While certain social distancing and mask mandates will be gladly scrapped once the go-ahead is given, let us remember our resilience, our adaptability, and our immense capability to take on whatever challenges may greet us in the future. In the spirit of recap, we have in this issue our annual Index of Articles (page 29), now featuring articles from the years 2016-2020. Contributing Editor William Wiersema looked at what businesses did right last year in this month’s “More than Accounting” column (“Business success in the year of Covid-19,” page 35). Last year was abnormal for a number of sectors, and depending on the industry, plants saw big gains and losses throughout the year.
Considering the workforce
This issue is also our annual spotlight on the electrical workforce. Functioning operations depend on their people, and in tough times like these, this is more true than ever. And in spite of the pandemic, business must run as usual, even when conditions are less than ideal. Perhaps one of the most stressful necessities is that of recruitment and hiring—which a number of electrical shops and plants still did as essential businesses in spite of broad economic struggle. I talked to some of these companies for this month’s cover story (“Hiring through a pandemic,” page 19). Further, this month’s “Plant Life” (“On the job monitoring: Are there no limits?,” page 41) tackles the modern management technique of employee data collection, meant to monitor productivity. I can’t promise that things will go back to normal soon, but I do know that no matter what 2021 has in store for us, the electrical industry is more than equipped to handle it.
Electrical Apparatus 17 N. State St., Suite 1650 Chicago, Illinois 60602 (312) 321-9440; fax (866) 228-7274 E-mail: EAMagazine@barks.com www.barks.com Founded 1948 as Volt/Age Horace B. Barks, Founding Publisher Elsie Dickson, Founding Publisher STAFF Elizabeth Van Ness, Publisher Kevin N. Jones, Senior Editor Richard L. Nailen, Engineering Editor Selena Cotte, Managing Editor Charlie Barks, Assistant Editor Contributing Editor William H. Wiersema Special Correspondents Jane Powell Campbell Christopher Wachter Staff Artist: Bernie White Cartoonists John D’Acunto Tim Oliphant ElectroMechanical Bench Reference Supplement mailed with the December issue Elizabeth Van Ness, Editor & Publisher ADVERTISING Naomi O. Clark, Advertising Manager CIRCULATION Circulation@barks.com Electrical Apparatus (ISSN 0190-1370), Vol. 74, No. 1, is published monthly by Barks Publications, Inc., 17 N. State St., Chicago, Ill. 60602; (312) 321-9440; fax (866) 2287274. www.barks.com. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, Ill., and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Electrical Apparatus, c/o Barks Publications, Inc., 17 N. State St., Suite 1650, Chicago, Ill. 60602. PM #40830553. U.S. subscriptions: 2 years—$85; 1 year— $50. Foreign airmail: 2 years—$200; 1 year—$110. Subscriptions also include an annual directory supplement, the ElectroMechanical Bench Reference. Single copies: $5 each plus postage; December issue, $24 with the supplement ElectroMechanical Bench Reference. Copyright 2021 Barks Publications, Inc. Reproduction of any part, by any means, including photocopy machines and computer networks, without the written permission of Barks Publications, Inc., is prohibited. Electrical Apparatus and ElectroMechanical Bench Reference are trademarks registered with the U.S. Patent Office. Copies of articles in print or PDF format may be ordered from our Marketing Department (312) 321-9440. Prices available on request. Libraries and companies registered with Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, Mass. 01923, should send 75¢ per page copied direct to CCC. Material also available in microform and CDROM from Pro Quest information service, (800) 521-0600 ext. 2888 (US) or 01-734761-4700 (International); www.il.proquest. com. Printed in the U.S.A.
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Let’s Solve Your Problem Another question about motor life In answer to an internet post, someone was told that “design life” is 30 years for large motor insulation. What’s the basis for this claim? We know of none. Certainly some motors have exhibited life that long or longer; many others have not. But no recognized design practice, test procedure, or widely publicized experience supports any specific life span to be expected.
I have seen that before, and I don’t believe it’s accurate. Comments? No, it’s not quite accurate. Although the ratio does change somewhat with motor design and polarity, as well as throughout the speed range during acceleration, a-c motor torque varies more nearly as the 2.2 to 2.3 power of terminal voltage. Example: at 80% voltage the torque will not reach 64% of the full-voltage value, but only about 60%. That can make the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful start.
What’s a NEMA B speed-torque curve?
What’s a ‘high resistance’ joint?
A 2016 paper from an IEEE conference included a graph of motor speed vs. torque for NEMA Design B motors, described as a “NEMA Motor Torque Curve.” I don’t see anything in my copy of NEMA standards that defines any motor speed-torque curve as such. What might this refer to? There’s an unfortunately widespread publication of motor speed-torque curves identified as “NEMA standard.” But NEMA MG 1 standards do not define a curve shape for any motor, only the minimum values of torque at locked-rotor, pull-up, and breakdown, without indicating the speeds at which the latter two values can occur.
Everyone agrees that “high resistance” joints in wiring can be dangerous, with overheating being a cause of fires or accelerating corrosion. But how high is “high”? If joint resistance is measured, what’s the limit? That’s a tough question. A soldered or brazed joint is normally of much lower resistance than a bolted joint. But much depends upon the contact area involved; the larger that is, the lower the overall resistance. We’ve seen many publications concerning “effective” and “desirable” electrical contact, but hard numbers are difficult to come by. Joint resistance depends upon some combination of bolt size and tightening torque, contact area and shape, crimping or soldering variations, and corrosion, as well as the current involved. One publication recommends a contact resistance of one “nanoohm” (a billionth of an ohm) as a maximum. Another cites a figure of 35 milliohms as a maximum. Still another calls for a range of 1000 to 5000 microhms (millionths of an ohm).
How long should grease last? We understand that the useful life of grease in a ball bearing will be cut in half for every 10°C rise in temperature. But how can we tell how long the life would be without any temperature increase? Bearing manufacturers have offered such statements as: “Several interactive factors influence grease life, the effects of which are extremely complex to calculate. . . .” According to another source, “greases contain oil and thickeners, both of which . . . influence life time . . . larger bearings [and] high speeds shorten grease life.” In other words, grease life can’t be precisely predicted, and half of an unknown quantity must also be unknown.
Torque versus voltage Someone was asking on an internet forum about the practice of rating motors for 208/230 volts, and one response stated that “torque is proportional to the square of the voltage.”
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Overvoltage alarms and medium-voltage motors On an internet forum, someone has asked about overvoltage alarm and trip settings for 4,160 volt motor control. The answer was that although NEMA design standards do specify a plus/minus 10 percent voltage variation, ““that doesn’t apply to medium voltage motors.” I always assumed NEMA would apply regardless of motor size. Am I right about this? Yes, sort of. Whether a “large” medium voltage motor, in Part 20, or a “medium” motor in Part 12, NEMA MG 1 specifies that “successful performance” is possible with that much voltage variation. The
problem is that we’re not sure exactly what “successful” means in this context.
The status of IE5 motor efficiency A motor manufacturer has begun advertising “NEMA IE5 motor efficient” products. Is this a new addition to NEMA standards? Not that we know of. This category exists in international (IEC) standards (how widely available on the market we don’t know), but the IEC category of IE5 isn’t included in NEMA MG 1 as far as we know. Also, IEC standard ratings, in kilowatts, don’t all match NEMA standard ratings in horsepower.
The meaning of ‘ambient’ Does “ambient temperature” mean something different outdoors than indoors? Yes. “Ambient” refers only to the temperature of the air surrounding some object. If that object is outdoors, it is also subject to heat produced by solar radiation, over and above the surrounding air temperature. The temperature of the exposed object will be determined by the combined effect of air temperature and the radiation. The radiation effect will depend upon how closely the object is to a “black body” (which determines the radiation effect on temperature). Accordingly, the temperature rise of an outdoor object will depend to some extent upon its color.
A question about hipot motor test voltage A recent internet post about testing a 2,300/4,000 volt motor winding stated that the test should apply an a-c voltage because “due to damage, d-c hipot is no longer done.” We know that the “final” overvoltage test is always a-c, but is d-c “in-process” testing no longer a legitimate practice? MG 1 motor standards Part 3 has included this note: “A direct instead of an alternating voltage may be used for high-potential test.” Also, the “standard” (a-c) test voltage of “twice rated plus 1,000 volts” applies to the final test on an assembled machine. Tests made at various stages of the winding process are up to the manufacturer. In any case, we don’t know of any ban on d-c testing. EA Edited by the EA staff ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | JANUARY 2021 5
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Associations
Laura Lindahl, managing director of the Dansk Facilities Management network, along with Peter Ankerstjerne, chairman of the International Facility Management Association, last month made the partnership between their organizations official. — IFMA photo
Associations entering new alliances Two heads are better than one, they say, and nothing accelerates advancement quite like two parties working together to advance their mutual interests. The harmonization of international standards is one realm in which associations worldwide have established channels of communication and mechanisms for bringing their efforts into alignment with one another. The National Electrical Manufacturers Association is an old hand at this sort of thing, having worked with peers across the Americas, Europe, and Asia to bring greater uniformity to the way electrical machines are designed, manufactured, and applied. Most recently, this past November, NEMA announced a memorandum of understanding between its Cable Tray Section and a Korean organization, the Unified Bulk Joint Industry Project, to develop harmonized cable tray requirements that “fall within the scope” of NEMA cable tray standards. NEMA’s building infrastructure industry director, Daniel Abbate, called the agreement “a great opportunity to establish a new area for close collaboration, networking, and mutual support” as the Korean organization implements NEMA standards. The cooperation could also help NEMA establish a foothold for its cable tray requirements in the Asia Pacific region. The Unified Bulk Joint Industry Project first came together in 2015 as an effort by Korean fabricators to harmonize standards for the oil and gas industry. In the years since, the organization has grown to include some prominent manufacturers, among them Hyundai Heavy Industries, Samsung Heavy Industries, and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering. Cooperating associations include the American Bureau of Shipping, DNV GL, Bureau Veritas, Lloyd’s Register, the Korea Shipbuilders’ Association, and Korea Marine Equipment Research Institute.
Another U.S. trade association that recently announced a collaborative effort with an overseas partner is the International Facility Management Association of Houston, which last month entered a formal partnership with the Dansk Facilities Management network to combine the two organizations’ resources and “improve the position” of facility management throughout Denmark and the European Union. Under the agreement, Dansk Facilities Management will become a global training affiliate for several of the U.S. facility management organization’s credential programs: Facility Management Professional, Sustainability Facility Professional, and Certified Facility Manager. The partnership is also expected to bolster the U.S. organization’s Workplace Evolutionaries Community Denmark Hub, which “connects multidisciplined professionals worldwide to focus on topics key to workplace evolution and transformation.” Members of the Dansk Facilities Management network will receive a limited membership in the International Facility Management Association that will include access to online resources as well as networking opportunities and discounts on events. Peter Ankerstjerne, chairman of IFMA, said that the partnership “allows each organization to do what they do best, collaborating to advance the [facilities management] discipline globally and provide individual practitioners with increased resources to benefit professional advancement.” Ankerstjerne’s counterpart in the agreement, DFM managing director Laura Lindahl, expressed equal optimism. “Through our collaboration with IFMA, we will offer our members a broader international perspective on facility management,” she said. Reflecting the tenor of the times, the two met to seal the deal with a socially distanced elbow-bump. An association’s collaboration with another organization isn’t always one of sharing resources between peers. Sometimes there’s the need to collaborate by outsourcing a task to an outside firm that has the specialized expertise to carry out that task more efficiently. Such is the case with the National Electrical Contractors Association, which announced in late November that it had entered into a strategic alliance with GoCanvas, a mobile digital platform, to create a suite of digital applications for electrical contractors. The objective is to help NECA member contractors use digital forms and processes “to minimize paperwork and increase productivity.” Headquartered in Reston, Va., GoCanvas produces a customizable mobile app for a variety of industries, both industrial and commercial, that helps users eliminate paperwork and speed up data collection, thus gaining “real-time insight into business operations.” NECA says its members will be able to use the app “to better understand various key performance indicators” and gain a competitive advantage “through the reduced time, cost, and improved data accuracy stemming from the paperless collection of data.” As the suite of application grows, according to the association, users will be able to benchmark their performance against peers and build “a culture of continuous improvement.” . . . proving once again that there’s no competitive advantage quite like being part of an alliance. — Kevin Jones EA
The harmonization of international standards is one realm in which associations worldwide have established channels of communication and mechanisms for bringing their efforts into alignment with one another
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Feature | Fast Forward
Smarter construction with robots The construction business is notoriously slow to adopt technology, but new start-ups and inventions have builders considering the advantages of automation By Selena Cotte, EA Managing Editor It is probably safe to say that construction is not synonymous with efficiency. While there have been grand improvements over the centuries, when compared with other sectors of the economy that involve difficult manual labor such as manufacturing, one does not consider the construction sector to be particularly high-tech. Cranes and similar vehicles are vital to many contemporary building projects, but it usually doesn’t get more automated than that. While it seems a bit behind the times, this is not the result of slow-to-adapt leaders, but rather a result of the difficulty of automating a hard-to-control construction site. Manufacturing plants, for instance, are controlled environments that allow for conditions to be anticipated and accommodated. Construction sites by their nature are temporary and ever-changing. No two building projects will be exactly alike, and even if they were, it would be difficult to implement the same kinds of systems that other industries have in
place and to constantly be moving. To automate construction requires an entirely different approach.
Finding a way to automate Some recent projects in San Francisco have found use in specially designed robots that are meant to aid in bringing construction to the 21st century, where Industry 4.0 is already in full effect elsewhere. The city’s latest airport terminal, an office building, and a building for the University of California San Francisco have all used robots to optimize building construction, making the process faster, smoother, and easier for human workers. Specifically, they used the Canvas bot, a robot specifically designed for the task of drywall finishing. Drywall can be difficult for people to finish due to its need to be smoothed out perfectly, to give the appearance of flatness, but it is not challenging to the robot. Further, even when construction workers have gotten the hang of the process, it’s both time-consuming and dull work—perhaps the kind that’s best taken on by a bot. Other construction tasks such as welding, drilling, and bricklaying are being automated by start-up Built Robotics to ease the burden on workers. Robots also exist for demolition purposes. Construction automation is only possible through innovative use of newly discovered sensor technology, open-source software, and advancements in robot technology such as grippers and arms.
Opportunities for service shops
— Canvas image
Robotics start-up Canvas is one of many new ventures into building robots for the construction sector. Previously, automation has been difficult, but bots like this one— which allows for drywall to be smoothed out without human intervention—are becoming more popular, allowing the industry to catch up with other fields that rely on hands-on labor, such as manufacturing.
Typically, construction and motor repair have little to do with one another, but the introduction of robots into any industry provides the opportunity for electromechanical maintenance and repair. The Canvas bots are not the large industrial robots typical in a large factory setting, but they are hefty pieces of machinery that may require specialized care and repair. If the trend were to continue, and other startups joined the race to make the construction business smart, more opportunities may appear for service shops to make an alliance. While this may be confined to select areas, such as San Francisco and similarly tech-focused cities, this is certainly a development to keep an eye on if robotic repairs are already in your wheelhouse. EA
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Business Power system control providers taking it to the edge Several of the leading providers of machine controls and monitors are taking their act to the next level by introducing products that tie together and coordinate the disparate assemblage of monitoring and control devices that increasingly are used to oversee today’s industrial power systems. It’s called edge computing, and it brings computation and data storage closer to where they’re needed. The objective is to save network bandwidth and improve response time when corrective action is needed. Edge computing has been with us for several years now, but its use is expanding rapidly as more and more machines and devices are interconnected through the Industrial Internet of Things and data is stored on the Cloud. Some of the major providers of controls and control systems have recently staked claims in the field by launching their own edge computing platforms. This past November, German industrial giant Siemens introduced its industrial edge portfolio, which the company describes as a “central and company-wide scalable infrastructure” for managing connected edge devices and apps. The open platform “provides users with a ready-to-use and seamless solution for data processing on the production level with integrated device and app life cycle management,” according to the company. The previous month, in October, Rockwell Automation of Milwaukee introduced its own FactoryTalk Edge Gateway, which the company describes as a means to simplify and accelerate the convergence of operational and information technology. As Rockwell explains it, edge computing aggregates operational data from “heterogeneous sources” and presents the data in a usable form at the “enterprise” — or control and management — level. Swiss manufacturer ABB‘s edge computing platform is known by the clever portmanteau word Edgenius. It’s a system that ABB describes as a “comprehensive Cloud-managed edge platform for industrial software applications.”
In its marketing, Siemens presents its Industrial Edge V1.0 platform as a futuristic assemblage of machines and software that move data swiftly and invisibly through the Cloud for efficient management and rapid response. — Siemens photo
Edgenius serves much the same functions as the other edge platforms. The system connects, collects, and computes data for various systems and devices, with the user subscribing only to the applications required by an operation. Like most of the others offering edge platforms, ABB promises improved “insights” about performance. Not to be outdone, St. Louis-based Emerson is marketing what it calls its PACEdge software and computing devices, which the company says is easy to deploy and built “with security in mind.” The system employs intuitive drag-and-drop programming and does away with command-line configuration and uses web interfaces for device administration. In short, the Emerson system has what appear to emerging as standard features for edge computing in industrial control. — Kevin Jones EA
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Clean Energy Bolting to recall General Motors is recalling at least 68,000 Chevy Bolt vehicles due to several accounts of battery fires in the model. The 2020 Bolt uses a 150 kW, 201.2 hp (203.9 ps) permanent magnet synchronous motor located in the front of the vehicle. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation into the matter back in October. GM “had already been investigating these reports prior to that announcement, in cooperation with NHTSA,” it says in an undated statement on its website: “We wanted you to hear directly from Chevrolet about your vehicle and what you can expect from us,” the notice read. “General Motors and Chevrolet have decided to voluntarily recall select 2017-2019 model-year Chevrolet Bolt EVs with high voltage batteries produced at LG Chem’s Ochang, Korea, facility that may pose a risk of fire when charged to full, or very close to full, capacity.” GM provided a software update beginning Nov. 17 that limited the charge for all the vehicles in this population to 90%. It also offers specific precautionary measures for Bolt owners on the Chevy website. Despite being only the eighth highest-selling EV in the U.S. in 2019, the model had moved up three spots since 2016, according to data obtained by InsideEVs.com. The latest on the story details a class action lawsuit filed in the Northern District of Illinois, as first reported by The Verge. The lawsuit accuses the company of fraud, negligent practices, and “knowingly introducing defective vehicles into the marketplace and defrauding consumers across the country.” The plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages. The Bolt is a five-door, all-electric small hatchback marketed by Chevrolet and developed and manufactured in partnership with LG Corp. MSRP value for the vehicle runs from $36,620 to $41,020 globally, with used models averaging around $17,000.
Blanketing carbon emissions In a key state for renewable energy advancement, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis announced the appointment of Eric Blank to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) on Dec. 11. “Eric has a deep understanding of Colorado’s energy system and will play an integral role at the PUC in advancing the market and consumer-driven transition to a cleaner, more affordable renewable energy future,” said Gov. Polis. Blank has spent his career working in the renewable energy and non-profit sectors and is considered “an entrepreneur and thought leader,” the office added. “Eric has a number of impressive qualifications for the position; in particular, his background in business and his legal experience would be assets to the PUC. We look forward to considering this well-qualified nominee when he comes before the Senate,” said Senate President Leroy Garica. “I’m honored to be chosen by Governor Polis for this position,” Blank said. “Largely because of the leadership of Governor Polis and the state legislature, I believe
TerraScale’s Big Data center.
— TerraScale photo
Colorado has a compelling opportunity to decarbonize energy systems and to do it in a way that benefits all customers and grows the economy.”
We shall build on the deserts Culver City, Calif.-based renewables company TerraScale is planning a Churchillian effort in Nevada that would be (another) record-setter. Developing 3,700 acres of land in Churchill County and next to the Reno/Sparks Interstate I-80 corridor, Energos Reno would “be the largest industrial/ commercial/residential development in the U.S. powered by hybrid renewable energy,” according to TerraScale. With the fiber optic trunk line and co-located geothermal and solar already complete, the project is touted for its zoning and locational benefits moving forward. It could provide direct access to five major ports on the West Coast and one-day shipping to 11 states. One-third of the property is in an opportunity zone, and the entire asset is located in a designated Federal Foreign Trade Zone. Energos Reno is located adjacent to TRIC, said to be the largest industrial park in the world, where Blockchain, Tesla, Switch, Apple, and Google, among other companies, have established facilities, data centers, and more. The company’s “ultimate” plan includes building the first green data center powered solely by renewable energy and to jointly develop the largest carbon-neutral park in the U.S.
Amazon claims top spot The Amazon rainforest has long been the poster child for environmentalists in its push to prevent major corporations from destroying natural areas. It would be a fitting irony, then, that a company named after the rainforest — one that originally sold books made from trees and is one of the largest corporations in the world, no less — became the world’s largest supplier of renewable energy. Amazon recently announced plans to add 26 utility-scale wind and solar energy projects, totaling 3.4 GW of electricity production capacity, bringing its total investment in renewable energy in 2020 to 35 projects and more than 4 GW of capacity — said to the largest corporate investment in renewable energy in a single year. These new projects will make the company the largest-ever corporate purchaser of renewable energy, Amazon said in December.
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The 26 new wind and solar projects are located in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Sweden, the U.K., and the U.S. The new projects are Amazon’s first in France, Germany, Italy, and South Africa. In the U.S., Amazon has now enabled wind and solar projects in California, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia. The company has a total of 127 renewable energy projects globally, including 59 utility-scale wind and solar renewable energy projects, and 68 solar rooftops on fulfillment centers and sort centers around the globe. “Amazon is helping fight climate change by moving quickly to power our businesses with renewable energy,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder and CEO. “With a total of 127 solar and wind projects, Amazon is now the biggest corporate buyer of renewable energy ever. We are on a path to running 100% of our business on renewable energy by 2025 — five years ahead of our original target of 2030. This is just one of the many steps we’re taking that will help us meet our climate pledge. I couldn’t be more proud of all the teams across Amazon that continue to work hard, smart, and fast to get these projects up and running.”
The pilot project, called H2-Orange – a nod to hydrogen gas and the collaboration with Clemson University – will ramp up in March 2021 and include studies on hydrogen production, storage, and co-firing with natural gas. The studies will evaluate multiple forms of hydrogen production, including green hydrogen, which is created from water and has no byproducts. Hydrogen also has the potential to store larger quantities of energy more efficiently and for longer durations than current lithium-ion batteries.
“We look forward to developing an advanced hydrogen energy storage system to reduce the carbon footprint on the Clemson University campus, while optimizing the cost of energy for the campus and microgrid,” said Richard Voorberg, vice president of global service operations at Siemens Energy. “We want to be a driver of the energy transition,” he added, “and this is a great step toward building reliable and efficient clean energy infrastructure in the U.S.” — Charlie Barks EA
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H2-Orange: a clean energy triumvirate “Green hydrogen” is making waves as the new big thing in renewables. The market for green hydrogen is expected to grow exponentially in the coming decade, experts recently told ABC News in a market report. “It puts the spotlight on [hydrogen] gas for the first time,” a study published in Nature stated in July. “And the gas industry is turning to hydrogen for a new lease on life.” A trio featuring an industrial-tech conglomerate, a utilities provider, and a highly regarded university are betting on those projections. Siemens Energy, Duke Energy, and Clemson University have teamed up to study the use of hydrogen for energy storage and as a low- or no-carbon fuel source to produce energy at Duke Energy’s combined heat and power plant located at Clemson University in South Carolina. The U.S. Dept. of Energy announced in December that it awarded Siemens Energy a $200,000 grant for the research initiative.
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Training & Education Embedding credentials within bachelor’s degrees It’s an idea that’s so obvious that it’s a wonder no one has ever thought of it before: embedding credentials within bachelor’s degrees so college graduates can step directly into specialized occupations immediately after receiving their diplomas. And yet the idea has only recently been gaining traction. Last month, an affiliate of the American National Standards Institute called Workcred published a new “framework” for developing certification-degree pathways. It did so in partnership with the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities, and the University Professional and Continuing Education Association. The framework identifies “examples, opportunities, benefits and challenges” that would be associated with making industry certification part of a bachelor’s degree program. The framework was the outcome of a series of “convenings” among universities and certification bodies across the U.S. in which participants discussed opportunities in this integrated approach, as well as how to overcome barriers. They specifically explored opportunities in the fields of health care, cybersecurity, manufacturing, and the liberal arts. Embedding or aligning certifications and bachelor’s degrees is seen as offering numerous benefits for students, certification bodies, universities, and employers. Such degrees would give students both the broadbased education and the industry-specific skills that employers look for in new hires. “Having an industryvalued credential as well as a degree can increase job opportunities and lead to better pay for students,” said Julie Uranis of the University Professional and Continuing Education Association. Credential-degree pathways would benefit certifying bodies because such plans would spread awareness of certification and help articulate how certification relates to certain careers, according to Karen Elzey, Workcred’s associate executive director. “Further,” Elzey said, “colleges and universities can improve their responsiveness to the needs in their regions, recruiting new students by developing more opportunities to count certifications for academic credit towards a bachelor’s degree, and differentiating their programs from other higher education programs.” Shari Garmise, executive director of the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities, goes further, saying that embedded credentials could help right past social wrongs. Labor-market credentials “improve labor market outcomes by certifying skill attainment which may help eliminate implicit bias in the hiring process,” she said. Embedding professional and vocational credentials within bachelor’s degree programs is an idea to which education professionals appear receptive. Writing last month in The Edge, a weekly newsletter of The Chronicle of Higher Education, senior writer Goldie Blumenstyk said embedding credentials “seemed like a no-brainer to me a year ago” and that “I still think that.” She offered kudos to Felician University for integrating 12 ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | JANUARY 2021
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— Illustration Designed by iconicbestiary / Freepik
IT and software courses from the DevOps Institute and to Ohio University for adding engineering courses that lead to certification in manufacturing. Last June, Wired magazine published an article by Jon Marcus about students who are “stacking” credentials en route to a degree. Although some students have been slow to understand the value of what some call “microcredentials,” the idea has gained momentum in part because of the pandemic, Marcus wrote. “A third of people who have lost their jobs in the pandemic, or worry that they will, say they will need more education to get new ones,” he quoted the nonprofit Strada Education Network as saying. Stackable microcredentials are a way to obtain marketable knowledge quickly. Earlier last year, an article in IndustryWeek pointed out the gap between the manufacturing jobs and the pool of skilled talent needed to fill them. The authors’ suggestion: “Let’s embed high-quality, industry-recognized certifications into college degree programs.” They too cited the example of Ohio University, where students pursuing a bachelor of science in engineering technology and management may sit for the exam to become certified manufacturing specialists. The framework laid out by Workcred and its partners offers a template for establishing a certification-degree path. First, one must obtain “leadership buy-in” and “create a common language.” Then, it’s necessary to “align competencies” and determine “appropriate fit.” The final steps are to “allocate resources” and “identify how credentials will be communicated.” Offering an entry for students formerly underrepresented in various occupations, providing job seekers with much-needed credentials during rough economic times, creating a pipeline of qualified employees for industries struggling to emerge from recession — indeed, what’s not to like about the idea? — Kevin Jones EA
Embedding or aligning certifications and bachelor’s degrees is seen as offering numerous benefits for students, certification bodies, universities, and employers 12/21/2020 4:49:23 AM
Speaking of . . . Birds versus wind turbines revisited In a report released Nov. 27, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service solidified a rollback of federal bird protections — namely those pertaining to wind turbine-related deaths. Nearly 140,000 to half a million birds die per year from turbine collisions, according to that department’s own “most comprehensive and statistically sound estimates.” According to the Fish and Wildlife Service and recent studies, industry operations kill an estimated 450 million to 1.1 billion birds annually, out of approximately 7 billion birds in North America. Internationally, major investments and research have been devoted to the topic. For example, as we reported last September, one Norwegian wind farm says it painted its turbine blades black and reduced bird deaths by 70%. The red-tailed hawk is one Suffice to say the federal governof the main species of birds ment has sent mixed messages on susceptible to death by the bird death issue in the past, and wind turbine blade. — U.S. Fish & Game photo it remains unclear where priorities lie. The Trump administration, for example, once submitted bird deaths as a reason to limit more wind power investment. Regardless, it warrants a raised eyebrow when your leaders echo similar discourse to Charlie Kelly from “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia,” who once contended that “bird law in this country is not governed by reason.” — Charlie Barks EA
Calendar
• January 19-20, 2021 — Motor & Drive Systems Conference, Virtual. TWST Events, www.motoranddriveconference. com. • February 1-3, 2021 — A3 Business Forum, Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek, Orlando, Fla. Association for Advancing Automation, www.a3automate.org/ events/a3-business-forum-2021/. • February 23-24, 2021 — ATMO VTS. 2.0, Virtual. Shecco, www.atmo-marketplace.com. • March 10-12, 2021 — CWIEME Shanghai, Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center, Shanghai, China. Hyve Group, www. cn.coilwindingexpo.com/en. • April 13-15, 2021 — DesignCon, co-located with Drive World and Embedded Systems Conference, San Jose McEnery Convention Center, San Jose, Calif. Informa Markets, www.designcon.com. • May 17-20, 2021 — Automate, Cobo Center, Detroit. Association for Advancing Automation, www.a3automate.org.
• June 1-2, 2021 — ATMOsphere Europe, Venue TBD, Brussels, Belgium and Virtual. Shecco, www.atmo.org/ upcoming-events/atmosphereeurope-2021. • June 7-10, 2021 — Cleanpower Expo, Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, Ind. American Wind Energy Association, www.cleanpower expo.com. • June 22-24, 2021 — CWIEME Berlin, Messe Berlin, Berlin, Germany. Hyve Group, www.coilwindingexpo.com/ber lin. • June 27-29, 2021 — EASA, Fort Worth Convention Center, Fort Worth, Tex. Electrical Apparatus Service Association, www.easa.com/convention. • October 16-20, 2021 — WEFTEC, McCormick Place, Chicago, Ill. Water Environment Federation, www.weftec.org. • October 18-21, 2021 — Experience POWER, Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio, Tex. Access Intel, www.w.electricpowerexpo.com.EA Edited by Selena Cotte
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OEMs on the Move
HomTex, Inc., uses Covid aid to expand
Mylan closes Morgantown facility
Montgomery, Ala.-based textile manufacturer HomTex has received more than $10 million in Covid-19 aid from the CARES Act to expand into personal protective equipment (PPE) manufacturing in nearby Selma. The move will add 300 or so jobs to the area. Earlier in the pandemic, its Cullman County plant shifted production from bed sheets to face masks — both disposable and reusable cotton.
Following a merger with Upjohn that has created the joint company Viatris, pharmaceutical manufacturer Mylan has announced the closure of its flagship Morgantown, W.Va., plant by mid-year. While the plant will shutter, eliminating 1,600 jobs, research & development as well as some administrative work will remain active in the area. The company aims to cut $1 billion of its budget by 2024.
Scottish plastics company comes to U.S.
Scotland-based “plastic road” manufacturer MacRebur has announced plans to build its first U.S. facility somewhere in Florida, to serve its preexisting American customers. The company uses nonrecyclable waste plastic to mix with asphalt for a more sustainable and effective solution. For reference, one ton of the company’s solution contains the equivalent of 80,000 plastic bottles.
Nabisco considers plant closures
Cookie company Nabisco has announced the possibility of two plant closures by mid-year: one in Fair Lawn, N.J., and another in Atlanta. The company operates three other U.S. factories, in Portland, Chicago, and Richmond, Va. If enacted, the shutdowns will leave about 1,000 employees out of work. Most production is now done at the company’s two Mexican facilities, in Monterrey and Salinas.
Channellock, the manufacturer of hand tools such as pliers, formally opened its newly expanded manufacturing facility in Meadville, Pa., after nine months of work. The 34,000-squarefoot addition features more machines and more distribution space, to help ease higher product demand.
New York plant layoffs postponed
The Gunlocke furniture manufacturing facility in Wayland, N.Y., has announced the postponement of 29 previously announced layoffs to March 12. The jobs were to be eliminated last month. In addition, an updated notice from the company says only 23 jobs will be eliminated instead of 29. The layoffs are a result of company reorganization, as they are moving product lines around to different plants across the country. — Selena Cotte EA
— Fanuc image
Product Showcase
Hand tool plant expands
Optimized 5-axis post processor for Fanuc CNCs
Fanuc’s new post processor for CNC machines allows advanced machine tool operators to reduce their cycle times while boosting part accuracy, particularly for CAD/CAM generated 5-axis simultaneous contouring part processes. By optimizing Fanuc CNCs with this new Mastercam post processor, machine tools will be able to produce parts – modeled in the CAD system — more precisely.
Platinum Tools launches fiber optic cleaner line
LK Metrology’s Metrology Gate portal for remote monitoring
Two new pen-style fiber optic cleaners have debuted from Platinum Tools. The color-coded cleaners are available in 1.25mm (p/n FC125) and 2.50mm (p/n FC250) sizes, and designed to work with most if not all sizes and connector types. Silk thread provides more than 900 cleanings and advances automatically after each use for particle-free connections.
— LK Metrology image
LK Metrology’s new Metrology Gate portal provides remote access to information on the status and performance of all connected metrology devices. Information available includes: measurement results, a summary of errors, a record of program changes, and uptime of the CMMs and OEE (overall equipment effectiveness). Historical logs assist troubleshooting and warn when routine maintenance is due, not only of the inspection machines but also of the machine tools or other equipment on which the components are being made.
— Platinum Tools image
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Know Your Industry Providing electrical technician certification ETA International Founded: 1978 Headquarters: 5 Depot Street, Greencastle, Ind. 46135 Annual dues: $40-individual, $20-student, $250-institutional, $500-lifetime Phone: (800) 288-3824 Website: www.eta-i.org At a time when nearly every sector of the job market is unpredictable, skilled jobs are at a crossroads when it comes to demand and qualifications. The two criteria are at loggerheads, and ETA International has chosen to prioritize skills over degrees. It’s no secret that properly trained employees are essential to the success of any company. An executive order signed recently by outgoing President Donald Trump directs federal agencies to replace outdated degree-based hiring with skillsbased hiring and encourages private companies to follow this new protocol. “Employers adopting skills- and competency-based hiring recognize that an over-reliance on college degrees excludes capable candidates and undermines labor-market efficiencies,” the order reads. “Currently, for most federal jobs, traditional education — high school, college, or graduate-level — rather than experiential learning is either an absolute requirement or the only path to consideration for candidates without many years of experience.” Under the order, private employers are also encouraged to use any valid and reliable method of collecting information on an individual for the purposes of making a decision about job qualification when hiring or promoting. Founded in 1978 by a group of technicians who realized the practice of degreebased hiring was not fulfilling the needs of the industry, ETA International provides accredited technical certifications per the ISO 17024 standard for certification bodies. To verify that these technical professionals have sufficient training in industry standards — including troubleshooting techniques, knowledge of test equipment, and installation procedures — ETA certifications test the knowledge and hands-on skills needed in today’s high-tech industries. ETA has issued more than 200,000 technical certifications covering more than 90 certification programs in a variety of Please turn to next page
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The Electronics Technicians Association focus on skills, not degrees. It has expanded its education program to include virtual learning. — ETA photo KNOW YOUR INDUSTRY continued from previous page
technology fields, such as fiber optics, smart home, renewable energy, customer service, biomedical, information technology, wireless communications, and industrial. You can find ETA-certified professionals working for many well-known companies like Motorola Solutions, Google, Disney, and Verizon, not to mention the U.S. Armed Forces. ETA’s stance is this: While book knowledge is important, if employees are unable to apply this knowledge in real-world scenarios, what use is it? [For a look at a trend toward embedding professional credentials within bachelor’s degree programs, see this month’s “Training & education,” page 12] Accredited by the International Certification Accreditation Council, ETA certification and FCC commercial license exams are also reimbursable from the Veteran’s Administration.
Those interested can explore certification pathways, find a test site, post a résumé, and join the thousands of students, professionals, and institutions worldwide who have become involved in the not-for-profit professional trade organization for electronics and related industries. Membership is not required to take an ETA examination. Keeping up with the times, the organization has pushed remote learning to the forefront of its curriculum this year, partnering with ExamRoom.AI to offer AI-integrated online exam proctoring solutions. ETA will also pay for the remote proctoring service as a thank you to the trade association’s customers. To take a remotely proctored ETA certification exam through ExamRoom.AI, all remote examinees must have a working web cam and microphone. Follow the procedure on the company’s website, www.eta-i.org, to get started. The association also announced in December that its primary trade show, the ETA International Education Forum, will be moved from March to September of 2021. The forum is part of the International Wireless Communications Expo every year. Education Forum at IWCE 2021 will now take place Sept. 27-30 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas. Conference attendees who paid to attend the 2020 live event will automatically have access to attend the 2021 event in the fall with a pass of equal value. The availability to use these credits towards other digital opportunities will be announced in the near future, ETA says. — Charlie Barks EA
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In Case You Missed It Here are some recent developments related to markets we cover in EA.
Emerging markets - Creative charging While battery companies develop more efficient, longer range, less expensive, lighter products for EV’s (and the average price is reaching an affordable tipping point, per a BloombergNEF survey), other visionaries are expanding the nature of charging opportunities. This summer Giant Food Stores installed free Volta charging stations in its parking lots, and Lordstown Motors is teaming up with
Energy - Team play needed
According to the think tank Energy Innovation, it’s time for the Southeast US to integrate its energy markets to transmit electricity across state boundaries. Creating a regional transmission organization (RTO) with independent system operators (ISOs) would increase efficiency for utilities like Duke Energy, Southern Company and the TVA, and would save consumers money by 2040.
Manufacturing - Going for 5G
— Volta photo
Marcus Lemonis’ Camping World to create a net-
work of charging locations, service bays, a call center, and a parts distributorship for owners of new electric RVs.
Aftermarket - Energetic expansion
Despite mixed messages for the overall economy, heightened acquisition activity suggests that the electrical parts and repair sector is going strong. Over the past few months, two companies have greatly expanded their reach. Industrial Power Services (IPS) had a productive fall, with the acquisition of Industrial Electric Motor Works in Miss., and Tesco Industries in Canada, as well as a new strategic partnership with ABB Canada. City Electric Supply now has 517 branches in 30 states, having opened around 20 new locations since the start of the pandemic.
A report from the Progressive Policy Institute and the National Spectrum Consortium projects that applications of the latest 5th Generation technology standard for broadband cellular networks will create more than 300K U.S. manufacturing jobs by 2035. One early adapter, John Deere, recently obtained licenses in five Illinois and Iowa counties. Companies could reap especially big benefits by dumping hard wires for virtual PLC’s, based in the cloud.
Facilities - Need to know?
A troubling coronavirus-related challenge facing facility managers has been the need to address the presence of illness on the managed property. Even the U. S. General Services Administration failed to follow its own policies, resulting in a citation from the GSA’s Inspector General. In the absence of state and federal guidelines, managers’ best option may be to create their own systems and follow them consistently, keeping in mind the obligation not only to notify occupants of potential danger, but also to protect the privacy of ill individuals. EA By the Electrical Apparatus staff
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Names & Faces The Society for Manufacturing Engineering has named Robert “Bob” Willig as its executive director and CEO, the Southfield, Mich., association announced. His employment with SME began Jan. 1. Willig’s 30-plus years of experience in manufacturing include positions at Stoneridge, Inc., where he was president of the control devices division; Plasan Carbon Composites; GKN Driveline; and The Gates Corp. “Willig has extensive experience leading teams across multiple cultures, languages, locations, and disciplines, which Robert Willig made him an additionally attractive candidate as SME conducted its search,” SME said in a December press release. Willig succeeds Sandra Bouckley, 2017 SME president, who was appointed SME’s executive director and CEO in July 2018. In other association appointments, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association’s vice president of operations and strategy, Patrick Hughes, was elected to serve a three-year term as director-atlarge of the American National Standards Institute. “As an ANSI-accredited standards developing organization, NEMA recognizes the importance of ANSI in promoting the interests of NEMA members, both domesPatrick Hughes tically and internationally,” said Hughes.
Hughes, who has served in various roles of increasing responsibility within NEMA for eight years, added that he anticipates ANSI’s future roadmap to transition to digital, electric, and sustainable methods. Hinda Shuman Marcus, president and CEO of Arnold Industries, was named to the national board for Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. Arnold is a Canton, Mass.-based distributor of electromechanical components and fasteners. Marcus, who graduated from Boston University with a BA and also is certified as a paralegal, serves on the board of Futures for Children, a nonprofit organization aiding in the education of Native American children, is a trustee of Hebrew Senior Life and is involved in several other humanitarian and cultural organizations. Her other interests include art, music, theater, travel, and sports. Nortech Systems, Inc., the Minneapolis-based provider of engineering and manufacturing solutions for electromedical and electromechanical products, named Christopher Jones as chief financial officer and senior vice president of finance, effective this past Nov. 2. “We are very pleased that Chris has joined Nortech’s team as the leader of the global finance team. He brings the experience, energy, vision, and leadership skills the company needs to achieve our rapid growth goals,” said Jay Miller, Nortech’s CEO. Miller also cited Jones’s excellent financial expertise, team-orientation, and strategic skills in rapid growth businesses. Jones commented, “It’s clear that Nortech aspires to be the most innovative and nimble engineering and manufacturing services company in the upper Midwest, while taking great care of its employees, customers, and vendor partners.” — Charlie Barks EA
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Hiring through a pandemic Trying to find the right fit for your shop is difficult enough under “normal” circumstances. Add in a restrictive and uncertain pandemic, and it’s even tougher. By Selena Cotte, EA Managing Editor While many unlucky companies have had to face layoffs and business shutdowns after a year of turbulent economic conditions and restrictions, many in the electrical business were still in the process of growth. Recruitment and hiring remained a priority for a number of companies deemed “essential,” in spite of traveling constraints, social distancing, and other precautionary measures. While hiring can be seen as a positive for a company, as having the means to hire must mean something is going right, it can also be a source of stress. In recent years, we’ve covered struggles that businesses in the electrical aftermarket have faced regarding hiring and recruitment. It is no secret that there has been a shortage of qualified shop workers, and fewer avenues to hiring. While the military and certain farm communities are still fruitful training grounds for would-be mo
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tor guys, recruitment is often more complicated than placing a simple “Help Wanted” sign in the window.
Recruiting for motor jobs “Recruitment and hiring has been difficult in our industry for a number of years, it just seems there’s not a huge talent pool out there,” Peter McIntosh, CEO at McIntosh Industries, told EA. McIntosh Industries, based in Hillside, N.J., primarily services the elevator industry, with jobs across the country. They also keep hiring notices posted almost constantly across the country in order to get the widest pool of qualified workers. “The talent pool tends to fall on guys who are either seniors, say 50 and above, who have been in the industry and plan to finish their careers there, or it falls to very young guys let’s say 20-25, who are very green but willing to learn,” he said. “It is rare to find somebody that’s in the 30-50 age group, which is that sweet spot where they have some experience but you can still get 20-30 years of work out of them.” Please turn to next page
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HIRING continued from previous page
Part of this can be attributed to a misunderstanding of motor work and broad discouragement away from the field, McIntosh says. “One of the big problems is that there seems to be a social stigma to blue collar work,” McIntosh added. “You have guys making $100-200k a year, without the need for higher education and they have no supervising responsibility. Most of them are supervised by people with college degrees, making 50-75% of what they’re making. But there’s still that stigma against it.” While McIntosh involves his business with local initiatives, including a consortium of New Jersey colleges, to bring attention to advanced manufacturing and the necessity of manual labor, the issue is a long-term problem that cannot be fixed overnight, contributing to the overall shortage of capable labor. To gain the best advantage, many businesses utilize recruitment firms or targeted ads (sometimes meant to reach people in a specific area, and sometimes more broadly to qualified people across the country) to reach
potential workers, but even this can have its own difficulties. “First of all, in an average month we probably go through about 175-200 responses to our ads,” McIntosh said. “Of those responses, the vast majority are weeded out very quickly. Of the ones that we invite to fill out an application and/or come in for an interview, a pretty good percentage that just don’t show up at all. Then, we lose about 20% of our candidates after a mandatory drug test.” Even when you ultimately bring in someone to work in your shop, you still have to deal with training and trial periods, which just add more stress to an already difficult process. Will that person stay on the job? Will they take to their training? Hiring, especially a previously unqualified candidate, entails risk for whatever company takes them on.
Covid-19 safety and preparation As we approach a year of lockdown and Covid-19, in various and varying stages de-
—Layco Electric Innovations image
Layco Electric Innovation, based in Tulsa, Okla., tackled social distancing, frequent disinfection, and split shifts to protect their employees from Covid-19. The pre-cautions, however, meant the company had to reapproach its hiring strategies to accommodate new rules and restrictions.
pendent on your location, many shops have found themselves changing their approach to work in general. “We have documented cleaning of all community surfaces twice each day; documented temperature assessment of each employee each day; documented exposure assessment and notification; doubled weekly deep cleaning of the entire facility; installed shields in community areas to encourage distancing; as well as asked all visitors to fill out a questionnaire and given a fever assessment,” Mike Lay, President of Layco Electric Innovations (LEI) said. The company, based in Tulsa, Okla., also split shifts to limit the number of people in confined spaces. Many similar changes have been made at shops and plants across the country to great effect. However, the process of hiring and recruitment fundamentally requires businesses to interact with new people, making compliance with Covid-19 restrictions more difficult. “Most of the process is done over the phone,” McIntosh said. “We were pretty much willing to bring anyone in as early as possible before, but now there’s more screening and checking qualifications before they come in and take the mechanical aptitude test. Before, we would invite people to come in and take a shop tour and fill out an application. Now, we’ll do it all upfront and only bring in candidates we’ve identified with a higher potential. The physical interview has been delayed to further in process—about a week or so has been added overall.” “The process we utilize has changed,” Sean Sampson,
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—Layco Electric Innovations image
Layco Electric Innovations used glass barriers between employees to protect them from Covid-19. They also subject new hires to more stringent safety procedures, to minimize risk for all parties.
Plant Manager at LittlejohnReuland, said. Littlejohn-Reuland, based in Vernon, Calif., has been looking to hire winders and a sales manager since the pandemic began. “I believe the largest change is that before, when people responded to an ad, we invited them in to fill out an application and interview. Now when someone responds to an ad, we have them send in their resume, and if we like what we see on it then we have a phone interview (sometimes with more than one person).” At Littlejohn-Reuland, the interviews themselves have also changed. “If we invite the person in for an interview then there’s maybe more than one person
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conducting the interview at the same time,” Sampson said. “In the past sometimes a person would have two interview with different people at different times, and there were very few phone interviews.
New and different circumstances Safety is not the only consideration at hand. Covid-19 has also disrupted the economy, changing the way the job landscape operates. In turn, the applicant pool has changed. While some may assume that a tough job market and high unemployment might bring in more and better applications, they would be incorrect. “There’s been no uptick in quality candidates,” Sampson said, noting that this was the part of pandemic hiring that stung the most. “Too many unqualified people thinking they are qualified.” For LEI, applications have come in at about the same rate as ever, if not “a bit lower,” Lay told us. As for McIntosh Industries, responses have fluctuated over the pandemic. “We started advertising for jobs again in about June,” McIntosh said. “From then until the end of September, there was a definite downturn in responses, probably by 50%. Now it’s back to what I would consider a close to normal response, but applicants are less qualified now.”
There may be a few factors at play here, with the first being that those with experience may be unlikely to look for better opportunities due to economic uncertainty, and a desire to buckle down while the storm passes. “People who are qualified are not seeking improvement or seeking to make a change,” McIntosh said. “Before, people were more aggressive about the job search. They were trying to advance themselves into better positions.” Another reason may be the temptation of relying on government support. “The government subsidies, while well-intentioned, have pushed some people to stay home rather than work,” Lay said, maintaining a neuPlease turn to next page
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—Andrea Piacquadio / Pexels image
Many motor shops have historically preferred to bring in potential workers for shop tours and mechanical aptitude tests early on in the hiring process. However, Covid-19 restrictions have led them to conduct more phone interviews and take a more stringent look at each application before inviting candidates in for in-person interviews and other risky tasks. While a convenient alternative, many shops do not prefer this new way of hiring, and instead hope for the day normal processes can return. HIRING continued from previous page
tral attitude about it. “Government help is a mixed bag of both good and unintended consequences.” McIntosh echoed these concerns. “Here in New Jersey, unemployment averages about $35 an hour,” he said. “We start out our really green hires from $24-28 an hour. So, it gets difficult to persuade younger candidates to want to try.” With these new challenges arisen, the typical challenges of hiring for a motor shop have only become more amplified, leading to alternative methods of recruitment. LEI, which has attempted to find people to staff its winding department through the pandemic, has turned to using recruiters to fill its vacancies. “The process has always been difficult. While mechanical folks can be located, the winding department is a real problem,” Lay said. “Previously, we used more of a direct hiring method. Today, while we still locate and select the future employees, they are hired by an employment service for 90 days before being officially onboarded with our company as an employee.”
Takeaways moving forward While companies have made the best of their tough situations, there hasn’t been much enthusiasm about how hiring processes have changed. “When this crap is over, I hope to go back to how we used to hire,” Sampson said.
While some broader changes related to Covid-19 may stick around, such as an emphasis on staying home when sick, and otherwise being mindful of one’s own health and hygiene, no one else seems to think the hiring process has been made any easier. “We will not be keeping any of these changes, other than our efforts to create a safer work environment resulting from the virus,” Lay said. While it is unknown when exactly it will be over, it is not a guarantee that even when it does, motor shops will be easier to staff. In spite of these challenges, there is work to be done, motors to be repaired, coils to be rewound. Hires have been made, both longand short-term—McIntosh tells us of one new employee who lasted a week before returning to his old industry of truck driving. Even when it takes a while, and a headache and a half—most have found a way to make hiring work, and will continue to do so as long as there’s a need. EA
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Feature | Motors & Generators
Form wound versus random wound: Is there a choice? Selecting one over the other will inevitably involve some trade-offs By Richard L. Nailen, EA Engineering Editor For polyphase a-c motors, the answer to the question posed in the headline above is: sometimes, yes – but not often. In the design of any electric machine, a balance must be reached between the volume required for electrical conductors and that for magnetic flux. Within any given overall volume of a machine, whatever space is occupied by one of those must be subtracted from what’s available for the other. Figure 1 depicts one way of looking at that arrangement in a motor. Much depends upon how the stator winding is made. There are only two methods, each with some variations, which we call “random” and “form.” To define those terms: a random winding is one in which each coil turn consists of one or more round magnet wires (normally No. 14 gauge or smaller) wound on pins or molds into a loop or skein. Once the coils are in place, they are interconnected in groups according to the machine polarity. In small, high production stators, the coils may be “spun” by machine directly into the stator core slots. The coils are bound into tight bundles by lacing (Figure 2) to minimize vibration of wires and to allow insulating varnish or resin to fill voids. Because of the physical appearance of such coils, the term “mush” is often used rather than “random.” Whatever other design considerations apply, a random winding can
Copper
Iron
Figure 1. Any motor or transformer involves an interlinkage between copper and iron – current-carrying conductors and magnetic core. Within any given overall size, increase in either necessitates a decrease in the other.
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Figure 2. Typical random winding in low voltage motor, tightly laced to prevent wire movement under magnetic forces during motor starting or abrupt load changes. Exposed surface for cooling air flow is minimal. — Electrical Apparatus file photo
always be fitted into a rectangular slot, but a formed coil can never be fitted into the tapered slot designed for random winding. In the form winding, individual coil conductors are rectangular or square, fitted together into a solid cross-section that is rectangular in shape, surrounded by insulation in sheet or tape form. For any random winding, “slot fill” is a concern. Necessary ground insulation, as well as a separator between coil sides, takes up some slot space. Manufacturers determine the extent to which the remaining free space can be filled. The larger the wire size, the lower the allowable “fill factor” - the percentage of gross slot area that can be safely allotted to the coils (see Figure 3). With round wires, there is no way to precisely determine or to control how the slot space will be filled. For example, consider Figure 4. At one possible extreme (a), four strands take up the minimum possible space. At (b), with the maximum possible space fill, the same crosssectional area of the slot contains portions of five conductors instead of only four – an increase of 11%. In actuality, some figure between those extremes is probable but likely to vary throughout each slot. If all strands do not lie parallel, the variation could be even greater. All of this is further complicated when each turn in the coil contains more than one wire size. Also, “randomness” — the uncontrolled location of individual turns within a random winding – means that the voltage between physically Please turn to next page ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | JANUARY 2021 23
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FORM VS. RANDOM WOUND continued
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adjacent turns is also uncontrolled. A turn conductor directly connected to line voltage may lie directly adjacent to one connected to the neutral. Increasing the insulation level sufficiently to deal with that condition is not feasible. Commented one authority: “By minimizing the voltage between adjacent turns [in the form winding] thinner insulation can be used to separate the turns. For example, in a 4,160 volt stator winding (2,400 volts line-to-ground), the winding may have 10 coils connected in series, with each coil consisting of 10 turns, yielding 100 volts from phase to neutral, with a maximum of 24 volts between adjacent turns. Whereas in a random type there might be up to 2,400 volts between the adjacent turns.”
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Gross slot area, square inch Figure 3. The larger the individual wires in a random-wound coil, the lower the percentage of slot area that can be occupied by conductor. Despite the insulation coating on each wire, the smaller wires “nest” more effectively.
Runddraht- oder Flachdrahtwicklung Haben wir die Wahl? Für Induktionsmotoren sind zwei Grundtypen von Statorwicklungen mit jeweils mehreren Varianten möglich: der Runddraht-Typ, der aus einem oder mehreren runden Drähten in jeder Spule besteht, und der aus quadratischen oder rechteckigen Drähten bestehende Flachdraht-Typ. Die Runddrahtwicklung ist bei den kleineren Motorgrößen mit einer Nennspannung von 600 V oder weniger üblich, von denen einige maschinell gewickelt werden können, wenn die Produktionsmenge die Werkzeugkosten rechtfertigt. Solche Wicklungen werden bei größeren Motorgrößen oder bei höheren Nennspannungen unpraktisch. Die Leitergröße wird so groß, dass die erforderliche Anzahl von Runddrähten pro Windung unverhältnismäßig ansteigt. Die alternativen flachdrahtgewickelten Spulen weisen einen rechteckigen Querschnitt auf und werden in „offene“ Schlitze mit parallelen
Winding type and motor size We’re accustomed to think of random winding as the norm for all small a-c motors, and for most medium motors up through the 500 frame. Large mo-
Summing it up: Deutsch . . . Français . . . Español Seiten gewickelt. Motoranwender haben sich nach Umwandlungsmöglichkeiten von einem Wicklungstyp auf den anderen erkundigt. Die beiden Wicklungstypen sind jedoch selten austauschbar. Obwohl Spulen mit Runddrahtwicklung in offene Schlitze eingesetzt werden können, ergibt sich durch die runden Drähte ein geringerer Leiterquerschnitt, als dies bei Flachdrahtspulen möglich wäre. Auch bei der Wärmeableitung bestehen Unterschiede zwischen den beiden Typen. Während die Runddrahtspule an den Enden des Stators eher dicht gepackt und nur an der Außenfläche der Kühlluft ausgesetzt ist, verfügen Flachdrahtspulen trotz der dickeren Spulenisolierung über definitive dazwischenliegende Luftkanäle zur Kühlung. Große Flachdrahtwicklungen ragen von den Enden des Stators weiter vor, nehmen mehr Platz innerhalb des Gehäuses ein und erfordern
aufwändigere Verstrebungen, um den magnetischen Kräften beim Starten des Motors standzuhalten. Obwohl die gebräuchlichste Version beider Wicklungstypen der zweilagige Typ ist, kommt bei vielen großen Maschinen eine Flachdrahtwicklung des einlagigen konzentrischen Typs zum Einsatz, der nur aus einer Spulenseite pro Schlitz besteht. Die Spulen sind vom „Durchsteck“-Typ, an einem Ende offen; die Hälfte der Spule wird mit dem Ende in ihren Schlitz eingeführt, während die andere Hälfte in ähnlicher Weise vom anderen Ende des Stators aus eingeführt wird.
Enroulement préformé versus enroulement en vrac: y a-t-il un choix? Pour les moteurs asynchrones, deux types
d’enroulement statorique de base sont possibles, chacun avec plusieurs variantes : le type «en vrac», constitué d›un ou plusieurs fils ronds dans chaque bobine, et le type «préformé», constitué de fils carrés ou rectangulaires. L’enroulement en vrac est courant dans les plus petites tailles de moteur, avec une tension nominale de 600 ou moins, dont certains peuvent être enroulés par une machine lorsque la quantité de production justifie le coût de l’outillage. De tels enroulements deviennent peu pratiques pour des moteurs de plus grande taille ou pour des tensions nominales plus élevées. La taille du conducteur devient si grande que le nombre requis de fils ronds par tour est excessif. Les autres enroulements «préformés» ont une section transversale rectangulaire et sont enroulés dans des fentes «ouvertes» ayant des côtés parallèles.
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tors are normally form-wound. All that applies to “low voltage” ratings. When the rating is “medium voltage” (above 600), form winding is the norm for any size. Exceptions can be found, however, such as the 40 hp machine made for 4,000 volt operation. As motor size increases, form winding becomes necessary even at low voltage, typified by the 2,000 horsepower 208 volt compressor drive for the air conditioning system in a downtown office building. Random winding may also suit some medium motor applications at voltage ratings above 600. The common example is the oil field design, used on well pumping sites where voltage is supplied by a grounded-neutral system at 480/830 volts (formerly 440/762). The line-to-ground voltage within the motor is therefore limited to the lower value, for which standard 600 volt insulation is appropriate. Not realizing what dictates such variations, one internet user asked this forum question: “How can you tell if a motor has a form winding or a random winding?” Responders to the question generally seemed aware that voltage rating was a principal an-
Des utilisateurs de moteurs ont proposé de convertir d’un type d’enroulement à l’autre. Cependant, ces deux types d’enroulement sont rarement interchangeables. Bien que des bobines en vrac puissent être insérées dans des fentes ouvertes, les fils ronds ont pour résultat d’offrir une section transversale moins conductrice à celle qui serait possible avec des bobines préformées. Des différences existent également dans la dissipation thermique des deux types. Alors que l’enroulement en vrac a tendance à être étroitement tassé aux extrémités du stator, exposé à l›air de refroidissement uniquement à la surface externe, les bobines à enroulement préformé ont des passages d’air intermédiaires définis pour le refroidissement malgré l’isolation de la bobine plus épaisse. Les enroulements préformés de grande taille se projettent plus loin des extrémités du stator, occupent plus d’espace dans l’enceinte et nécessitent un renfort plus élaboré pour résister aux forces magnétiques du démarrage du moteur. Bien que la version la plus
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When the rating is ‘medium voltage’ (above 600), form winding is the norm for any size. Exceptions can be found, however. swer, but no one elaborated on how the choice of winding type might be determined. One reply indicated that a motor user had experienced premature failure with one type of winding, and had switched to the other type with “good results.” Years before that, one of our readers asked this question: “We have redesigned many open slot hard coil, 480 volt motors to mush coil windings. We have had no detectable sacrifice in operational characteristics up through 250 hp 8 pole machines. We now have a customer who requests all open slot stators be wound with formed coils. Please give the advantages or disadvantages of replacing hard coil windings with mush coil windings.” The most common formed coil consists of rectangular or square copper “ribbon” wound into a loop having a rectangular cross-section,
courante des deux types d’enroulement soit le type à double couche, de nombreuses grandes machines ont utilisé un enroulement préformé de type concentrique à une seule couche, constitué d’un seul côté de bobine par fente. Les bobines sont du type «en U», ouvertes à une extrémité; la moitié des bobines sont insérées bout à bout dans leurs fentes, tandis que l’autre moitié est insérée de la même façon depuis l’autre extrémité du stator.
Devanado preformado versus devanado aleatorio: ¿Hay alguna opción? Para los motores de inducción, son posibles dos tipos básicos de bobinado del estator, cada uno con diversas variaciones: el tipo “aleatorio”, que consta de uno o más alambres redondos en cada bobina, y el tipo “preformado”, compuesto por alambres cuadrados o rectangulares. El bobinado aleatorio es común en los motores de menor tamaño, con voltaje
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nominal de 600 o menos, algunos de los cuales se pueden enrollar a través de máquinas cuando la cantidad de producción justifica el costo de las herramientas. Dichos bobinados se vuelven poco prácticos para motores de mayor tamaño o para clasificaciones de voltaje más altas. El tamaño del conductor se vuelve tan grande que el número requerido de alambres redondos por vuelta es excesivo. Las bobinas alternativas “con devanado preformado” tienen la forma de una sección transversal rectangular y se enrollan en ranuras “abiertas” que tienen lados paralelos. Los usuarios de motores han preguntado sobre la conversión de un tipo de bobinado a otro. Sin embargo, los dos tipos de bobinado rara vez son intercambiables. Aunque se pueden insertar bobinas aleatorias en ranuras abiertas, los alambres redondos dan como resultado una sección transversal de conductor menor que la que sería posible con bobinas preformadas. También existen diferencias en la disipación de calor de los dos tipos. Mientras que
la bobina aleatoria tiende a estar compactada en los extremos del estator, expuesta al aire de enfriamiento solo en la superficie exterior, las bobinas preformadas tienen pasos de aire intermedios definidos para enfriar a pesar del aislamiento más grueso de la bobina. Los bobinados preformados grandes se proyectan más lejos de los extremos del estator, ocupan más espacio dentro del gabinete y requieren soportes más elaborados para resistir las fuerzas magnéticas del arranque del motor. Si bien la versión más común de cualquier tipo de bobinado es el de doble capa, muchas máquinas grandes han utilizado un bobinado preformado del tipo concéntrico de una sola capa, que consta de solo un lado de la bobina por ranura. Las bobinas son del tipo “a presión”, abiertas en un extremo; la mitad de las bobinas se insertan por los extremos en sus ranuras, mientras que la otra mitad se inserta de manera similar desde el otro extremo del estator.
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FORM VS. RANDOM WOUND continued
then “pulled” or spread into the familiar diamond shape to fit into two stator slots — one for each coil “side.” Unlike the random coil, its crosssection is a solid structure, made to close tolerances and bound by one or more overall layers of tape insulation.
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Interchangeability of winding types So how interchangeable are these two types of winding? Not very. Theoretically, a random winding can be used in a stator with “open slots” (rectangular shape with a full-width opening at the stator bore) designed for formed coils. However, because no combination of round wires can provide the same current-carrying area as a form winding, the winding temperature rise will increase and efficiency decrease. Such a winding change is possible only if adequate margin exists in both those characteristics. Conversely, the trapezoidal slot shape normal for any random winding cannot accommodate formed coils with their necessarily rectangular shape. (See Figure 5.) The shape of the slot opening has various effects on motor performance, including stray load loss. Unfortunately, that is the most difficult loss to quantify. Technical papers dealing with the theory involved are not very helpful. Examples: 1. A 1934 IEEE paper: “. . . machines which have closed slots in both rotor and stator share a high value of the stray load loss.” 2. A 1984 IEEE paper: “. . . high stray loss may occur in machines where . . . open slots must be used for inserting the windings.”
Figure 4. Within a random winding, individual wire positioning cannot be controlled. The result will at best be some unknown mixture of these two conditions within any given space. Version (b) allows about 10% more conductor area than version (a). Any “twist” of individual wires will open up gaps that can increase that percentage.
Take your choice (although the second view is now favored). But recognize that stray loss has always been not only the most difficult task for the designer to calculate but also involves the most controversial test procedure (internationally, some standards allow for assignment of a standard value rather than mandating any test). The heat dissipation from the exposed end turns will differ in several ways between the two types of winding: 1. Overall coil insulation is thinner for the random winding – better cooling. 2. Random end turns are tightly packed with no defined air flow spaces between coils – worse cooling. 3. Random end turns shorter; less heat dissipation area — worse cooling.
Semi-closed slot Open slot
Figure 5. Comparing “open” and “closed” slots having the same slot opening at the stator I.D. Although a random winding can be accommodated in either type of slot, a random winding in the open slot typically suffers a 10%-15% loss of conductor space (the shaded area) compared to the trapezoidal slot.
So all the following conditions are involved in the choice of one type of winding versus the other: 1. Voltage rating. For 600 volts and below, only the film or fiber insulation on the wire itself is needed, along with a minimum of insulation between coils or between coils and core. Higher voltages require more, including layers of tape surrounding each coil. 2. Physical size – horsepower and speed. 3. Practicality of random coil manufacture: too many individual wires per turn, or wire size unwieldy to handle. 4. Stator slot shape. 5. Available space for coils, connections, and support outside the ends of the stator core. 6. Winding cost.
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in the slot with the core loss in the teeth. In either type of winding, slot dimensions have another important influence. The greater the ratio of slot depth to slot width, the higher the stator reactance, resulting in lower motor torque and locked-rotor current. A wider, shallower slot reverses those tendencies.
7. Performance – torque, lockedrotor current, temperature rise, and (particularly since 1992 in the U.S.) full-load efficiency. 8. Number of units involved. Coil configuration depends upon both voltage rating and motor size. The larger the machine Figure 6. A completed form winding of the conventional double-layer type, in at any voltage, the higher the sta- which all coils are of the same shape. — Electrical Apparatus file photo tor current, and the larger the required conductor size. Also, the “end turns” – the projection of each coil beyond the ends of the stator core – become longer, and therefore more difficult to adequately support by restraining the movement of the coil or of individual coil wires against the magnetic forces of starting current. Why is random winding the universal norm for the smaller machines? The main reasons: 1. A random winding can be installed or replaced without special tooling, and for high production rates can be installed by machine. 2. Low cost of coil manufacturer, requiring no rigid forming or taping. 3. Operating voltages are low enough to minimize insulation requirements. Although the published statement: “. . . form-wound stator . . . windings are used if the rated voltage is 2,300 or more” incorrectly implies that form winding is never used for “low” voltages (600 and below), form winding is customary at 2300 volts and above. But motor size and coil conductor arrangements may dictate form winding for “large” machines at any voltage. Some European motors have been designed for round-wire usage at voltages above 4,000 (although the coil construction is not “random”). The added coil insulation thickness required, and the smaller market potential at higher voltages, have led to design practices for the higher voltages that differ in several respects from standardized (NEMA or IEC) “low voltage” motors. Inevitably, rectangular slots distributed radially around the stator bore result in tooth widths that are distinctly non-uniform – wider at the bottom, narrower at the top. The designer must balance the copper loss
Winding practices around the world Around the world, formed coil design has become fairly standardized. Some variation in the shaping has been found useful to facilitate coil insertion into stator slots, notably in 2 pole machines. But all coils in the set are of the same shape (Figure 6). That practice is widely followed for all sizes and all voltages. This is called a “two-layer” winding, because there are two separate coil sides in each slot, parts of two separate coils. An exception is the form winding method variously termed “pushed-through” or “concentric” winding – see Figures 7 and 8 (although no two-dimensional portrayal is adequate). This is a “single-layer concentric” winding, with only one coil side per slot. Such designs were once fairly common for large machines in Britain. A U.S. author more than 30 years ago said of the push-through winding that it was Please turn to next page
Open ends of "hairpin" shaped and joined after coil is inserted
Figure 7. A “hairpin” or “push-through” formed coil, which can be inserted endwise into a semi-closed (“bridged”) stator slot; the open ends are then bent to be similarly joined.
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Figure 8. A form winding in progress years ago using “pushthrough” coils of the type shown in Figure 7 (half of then inserted from one end of the stator, the other half from the other end). Typical voltage ratings: 3,300 or 11,000. — Electrical Apparatus file photo
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FORM VS. RANDOM WOUND continued
“not used in modern machines, but there are some older machines still in service in which such coils will be found.” It has these drawbacks: 1. Coil manufacture and stator winding are extremely labor-intensive. Each coil must be bent in several different locations and directions. Final shaping of each coil must be performed manually at one end of the stator after they have been inserted. 2. Instead of one basic shape for all coils, each coil in a group is of a different shape. 3. Ample space for end turns is needed in both axial and radial directions. One advantage for this construction: It requires a minimum of “support” or “bracing” against the forces occurring during motor starting. Another is that slots may be semi-closed rather than fully open (now considered a performance plus). If the “push-through” winding has gone out of favor, how feasible is it to convert such a machine to a conventional “diamond coil” double-layer winding? That will depend on many details, such as the axial space available for end turns. We haven’t seen any details on such a conversion. And as for conver-
Figure 9. Partial layout of winding of the type shown in Figure 8 (although this two-dimensional view can’t depict the three-dimensional structure, or show all the individual connections within or between coils). One set of coils is “pushedthrough” the stator from one direction; the other set from the other direction. External connections are made at only one end of the stator.
sion of any existing design from form wound to random wound, or vice versa, no examples appear to have been widely publicized. Whatever performance changes might result, an overriding consideration now is the effect on motor efficiency. EA
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Index of Articles: 20162020 Circulation Department Barks Publications, Inc., 17 N. State St., Suite 1650, Chicago, Ill. 60602 (312) 321-9440 Fax (866) 228-7274 www.barks.com See page 4 for prices
Accounting U.S. accounting then and now. William H. Wiersema. January 2016, p. 35. Tax-saving ideas for U.S. Businesses. William H. Wiersema. March 2016, p. 32. Pricing today. William H. Wiersema. April 2016, p. 29. Structuring foreign operations. William H. Wiersema. May 2016, p. 37. S corporation or limited liability company? William H. Wiersema. August 2016, p. 33. The tax benefits of research. William H. Wiersema. September 2016, p. 33. Time to change your accounting? William H. Wiersema. December 2016, p. 29. The new role of the CPA. William H. Wiersema. January 2017, p. 36. Paid more for doing better. William H. Wiersema. February 2017, p. 34. Accounting for innovation. William H. Wiersema. March 2017, p. 31. What’s the market value of your business? William H. Wiersema. April 2017, p. 31. Strategies for structuring your business. William H. Wiersema. June 2017, p. 41. Cooking the books. William H. Wiersema. August 2017, p. 41. Material world. William H. Wiersema. September 2017, p. 32. Evaluating lines of a business. William H. Wiersema. December 2017, p. 34. New accounting rules. William H. Wiersema. January 2018, p. 37. What’s new in the new tax law? William H. Wiersema. February 2018, p. 14. Streamlining your accounting. William H. Wiersema. February 2018, p. 35. Mergers and acquisitions under the new tax law. William H. Wiersema. April 2018, p. 38. Better budgeting. William H. Wiersema. May 2018, p. 41. Money-saving tips for the smart manager. William H. Wiersema. June 2018, p. 42. Accounting for safety. William H. Wiersema. July 2018, p. 32. Do costing standards help or hurt? William H. Wiersema. August 2018, p. 39.
Associations, Conventions & Trade Shows Efficient building management. Nina Kellerman. February 2016, p. 12. DistribuTECH 2016. Bill O’Leary. March 2016, p. 40. Innovation on display. Charlie Barks. March 2016, p. 44. Manufacturing meeting in Milwaukee. Feature | Plant Life
Ransomware and other threats against manufacturing
—Gerd Altmann / Pixabay image
Cybersecurity research indicates that ransomware and cyber attacks against manufacturing facilities have tripled in the past year. Plant operators must be aware of the threat and plan ahead. By Selena Cotte, EA Managing Editor Malicious software known as ransomware is a growing threat to international businesses. The malware works by infecting one’s computer, either threatening to leak information or block access until a fee, or ransom, is paid. Typically such software is installed through misleading links, sketchy e-mails, or other sneaky tactics. But hackers can also come through no action of your own. With more and more manufacturing facilities relying on the Industrial Internet of Things and automated equipment, there is more risk than ever of such an attack. Cybersecurity research firm Dragos reported last month that a number of cyber risks for plants were increasing, typically targeting the industrial control systems, or ICSs, at the affected plants. Access to the ICS would allow a hacker to stop any industrial process and halt production altogether.
Who is at risk? As of October, the company also identified 262 vulnerabilities impacting industrial equipment found in manufacturing environments. Nearly half of the advisories regarded a potential loss of view and/or loss of control within a compromised environment. Of those vulnerabilities, “70 percent require access
to the victim network to exploit; 26 percent require an adversary to have access to the vulnerable device itself; and 8 percent require an adversary to be on the local area network to facilitate exploitation,” the report noted. In its report, Dragos identified several groups associated with cyber attacks, including CHRYSENE, PARISITE, MAGNALLIUM, WASSONITE, and XENOTIME. Affected industries are commonly power plants or are related to electrical generation; related to governmental work; aerospace and other high-tech production; and manufacturing generally in tense parts of the world or country.
Why manufacturing? You may be asking, “What do a bunch of cyber criminals want with my plant?” Well, consider that manufacturing is a center point in many industries. Slowdowns at the plant can cause big problems all the way down the supply chain. If one wanted to cause chaos and disorder, a manufacturing facility would be a convenient and unsuspecting target. While one may wish to roll the dice instead of springing for a pricey cybersecurity system, it is just this lack of preparedness that makes plants so vulnerable. However, it is probably true that if you are not working in an affected or tense industry that could later be affected, it may not be necessary to act quite yet. Regularly assess your vulnerability, your potential work-arounds, and any other systems that may be in play to determine your safety. As with many things, an old adage can be invoked: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of a cure. EA
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Charlie Barks, Kevin Jones, & Joseph Hoff. April 2016, p. 9. Taking stock of maintainability. Jane Powell Campbell. April 2016, p. 36. Getting technical in Toronto. Kevin Jones. May 2016, p. 12. Parks, recreation & food! Elizabeth Van Ness & Joseph S. Hoff. May 2016, p. 15. What’s in the booths? Elizabeth Van Ness. June 2016, p. 18. Bringing the world to Milwaukee. Charlie Barks. June 2016, p. 53. Water, water everywhere. Charlie Barks. August 2016, p. 14. Taking the global view in Toronto. August 2016, p. 16. The view from the exhibit floor. August 2016, p. 40. On the leading edge of electrotechnology. Charlie Barks. September 2016, p. 18. How CWIEME gained a foothold in North America. Kevin Jones. September 2016, p. 20.
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Partners in energy efficiency Zeller Technologies of St. Louis The nuclear option Motor efficiency tests The coronavirus crisis Improving pump efficiency Smart Grid resources 04cov.indd 1
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Another look at the 2016 EASA Convention. September 2016, p. 44. The future of manufacturing on display. The Electrical Apparatus staff. October 2016, p. 12. A manufacturing show for everyone. The Electrical Apparatus staff. October 2016, p. 32. Leading-edge technology on display. November 2016, p. 44. Striking a chord. Christopher Wachter. March 2017, p. 34. Cool running. The Electrical Apparatus staff. April 2017, p. 38. Electrical expos join forces. Kevin Jones. April 2017, p. 42. Let’s get technical. Kevin Jones. May 2017, p. 16. Meet me in Tampa. Charlie Barks. May 2017, p. 17. Caution: robot crossing. Charlie Barks & Selena Cotte. May 2017, p. 48. The latest in electromechanical service, repair, and replacement. The Electrical Apparatus staff. June 2017, p. 24. What was hot at EASA. The Electrical Apparatus staff. August 2018, p. 52. Powerful connections. The Electrical Apparatus staff. June 2017, p. 60. Down to the wire. The Electrical Apparatus staff. July 2017, p. 10. Fluid agenda. Charlie Barks. August 2017, p. 12. Water conference to splash back into Chicago. Selena Cotte. August 2017, p. 14. Internet of Things is the talk of Tampa. Bill O’Leary. August 2017, p. 20. Expanding opportunities in service. Richard L. Nailen. August 2017, p. 21. Fun in the sun. The Electrical Apparatus staff. August 2017, p. 52. Speaking of coils. Kevin Jones. September 2017, p. 23. Piping hot. Elizabeth Van Ness. October 2017, p. 44. Energy-efficiency is so last year. Kevin Jones & Selena Cotte. November 2017, p. 16. The world of electric machines comes to the Midwest. The Electrical Apparatus staff. November 2017, p. 18. Helping the young to build their dreams. Kevin Jones. November 2017, p. 32. A glimpse of the future of water. Bill O’Leary. November 2017, p. 34. Metalwork. The Electrical Apparatus staff. December 2017, p. 40. HVAC/R expo to blow into the Windy City. The Electrical Apparatus staff. January 2018, p. 40. A “record-breaking” AHR 2018. Selena Cotte & Matt Raebel. March 2018, p. 40. Bright ideas in Las Vegas. Charlie Barks. March 2018, p. 50.
Shooting the breeze at Windpower 2018. Kevin Jones & Matt Raebel. April 2018, p. 44. A city built on manufacturing. Richard L. Nailen. May 2018, p. 45. Exploring the “right way.” Kevin Jones. May 2018, p. 46. Renewables meet coal. Jane Powell. May 2018, p. 54 Wind power industry seeks to move to the next level. The Electrical Apparatus staff. June 2018, p. 14. EASA exhibitors, 2018. The Electrical Apparatus staff. June 2018, p. 45. The smart conventioneer. Bill O’Leary. June 2018, p. 61. Where business met fun. Matt Raebel. June 2018, p. 64. Cutting-edge safety: what’s next in products & programs. Matt Raebel. July 2018, p. 14. U.S. wind takes a victory lap. Kevin Jones & Selena Cotte. July 2018, p. 19. Hydrate, regenerate, educate. Matt Raebel. August 2018, p. 20. Picturing EASA. The Electrical Apparatus staff. August 2018, p. 48. What was hot at EASA. The Electrical Apparatus staff. August 2018, p. 52. Something for everyone at IMTS 2018. Elizabeth Van Ness. September 2018, p. 18. CWIEME Chicago postponed. Kevin Jones & Matt Raebel. September 2018, p. 20. Global in more ways than one. The Electrical Apparatus staff. October 2018, p. 18. Weftec 2018. Elizabeth Van Ness. November 2018, p. 20. AHR Expo coming to Atlanta. Kristine Weller. December 2018, p. 51. Striving for a greener future. Charlie Barks & Selena Cotte. January 2019, p. 40. Get smart! Bill O’Leary. March 2019, p. 14. Something for everyone at Automate 2019. Selena Cotte. March 2019, p. 50. Something in the wind. Kevin Jones. April 2019, p. 19. Heating up Atlanta. Kristine Weller & Bill O’Leary. April 2019, p. 36. Old will meet new at EASA 2019. Kevin Jones. May 2019, p. 21. A full plate. Selena Cotte. May 2019, p. 43. Winding it up in Wisconsin. The Electrical Apparatus staff. June 2019, p. 12. Picture this: what’s new in robotics. The Electrical Apparatus staff. June 2019, p. 20. Changes afoot at EASA 2019. Matt Raebel. June 2019, p. 27.
Index of Articles 2016-2020
Back issues, or photocopies of articles when back issues are out of stock, are available from:
Taxing questions. William H. Wiersema. October 2018, p. 36. What’s new, financially, for buyers of businesses. William H. Wiersema. November 2018, p. 39. U.S. sales taxes in a new age. William H. Wiersema. March 2019, p. 46. New revenue accounting for service shops. William H. Wiersema. November 2019, p. 36. The financial side of selling a business. William H. Wiersema. August 2019, p. 39. Financial planning tips for the new year. William H. Wiersema. December 2019, p. 37. Repair or replace? William H. Wiersema. January 2020, p. 38. Executive incentives today. William H. Wiersema. June 2020, p. 47. Rethinking retirement. William H. Wiersema. July 2020, p. 33. The new uncertainty about “revenue” William H. Wiersema. October 2020, p. 37. Buying or selling a business post-Covid. William H. Wiersema. November 2020, p. 35. Financial reporting in a pandemic. William H. Wiersema. December 2020, p. 35.
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Index of Articles 2016-2020
INDEX continued
Beyond wind. Charlie Barks. July 2019, p. 12. Viva La EASA! Selena Cotte. August 2019, p. 42. EVs and EV batteries in the spotlight. Matt Raebel. August 2019, p. 54. Manufacturing event tightens its focus. Kevin Jones. September 2019, p. 10. Electric vehicles and hybrids come of age. Charlie Barks. October 2019, p. 16. Reliability matters. Bill O’Leary. November 2019, p. 16. In manufacturing, uncertainty rules. Kevin Jones. November 2019, p. 21. Water tech everywhere. Selena Cotte. November 2019, p. 39. New technology with a personal touch. David Miller. December 2019, p. 14. What’s cool in HVAC/R. The Electrical Apparatus staff. January 2020, p. 18. Meetings and conventions are rapidly going virtual. Kevin Jones. June 2020, p. 9. Coronavirus crisis presents an occasion to trim regulations. Kevin Jones. July 2020, p. 6. EV batteries power up. Charlie Barks. July 2020, p. 14. Rewind still needn’t compromise efficiency. Kevin Jones. August 2020, p. 6. “See you at the Zoom meeting.” The Electrical Apparatus staff. August 2020, p. 18. HVAC/R associations at center of Covid-19 fight. Kevin Jones. October 2020, p. 8. Business advice from industry associations. Kevin Jones. November 2020, p. 4.
Automation Automation nation. Bill O’Leary. March 2017, p. 41. Caution: robot crossing. Charlie Barks & Selena Cotte. May 2017, p. 48. Automation safety. Charlie Barks. June 2017, p. 22. What goes into a plant. Selena Cotte. December 2017, p. 37. The digital tide. Bill O’Leary. January 2018, p. 47. The thing about the Industrial Internet of Things. Selena Cotte. April 2018, p. 24. A world of opportunity in robotics. Matt Raebel. September 2018, p. 42. “Domo arigato, misuta robotto.” Selena Cotte. September 2018, p. 48. Future perfect. Selena Cotte. October 2018, p. 25. Smart for all. Selena Cotte. October 2018, p. 48. Welcome, our new robot coworkers. Selena Cotte. January 2020, p. 46. Becoming a cyborg. Selena Cotte. September 2020, p. 10.
Business Growth
EASA Convention 2020
Controlling international operations. William H. Wiersema. October 2016, p. 30. More than motors: HVAC/R. The Electrical Apparatus staff. January 2018, p. 16. Money for growth. William H. Wiersema. March 2018, p. 36. Mergers and acquisitions under the new tax law. William H. Wiersema. April 2018, p. 38. When a foreign company does business in the U.S. William H. Wiersema. October 2019, p. 38. The M&A Wave. Kevin Jones. November 2020, p. 21.
Business Management (See also Accounting, Computers, and Safety & Health) Efficient building management. Nina Kellerman. February 2016, p. 12. Efficiency in the motor shop. Elizabeth Van Ness. February 2016, p. 16. Improving operational efficiency. William H. Wiersema. February 2016, p. 32. Innovation roundup. Elizabeth Van Ness & Joseph S. Hoff. March 2016, p. 13. R&D is the place to be. Bill O’Leary. March 2016, p. 38. Onward and upward. May 2016, p. 24. Pitfalls in selling a business. William H. Wiersema. June 2016, p. 37. Does your employee make more than $47,476? Charlie Barks. July 2016, p. 10. Maximize your meeting of the minds. Bill O’Leary. August 2016, p. 10. Dealing with jerks. Bill O’Leary. September 2016, p. 16. Expatriate games. Bill O’Leary. October 2016, p. 38. Southern crossings. Bill O’Leary. October 2016, p. 44. Benefiting from retirement plans. William H. Wiersema. November 2016, p. 33. Dress the part. Bill O’Leary. November 2016, p. 46. Find your bottleneck(s). Bill O’Leary. December 2016, p. 41. Who are your stakeholders? Bill O’Leary. January 2017, p. 18. The new role of the CPA. William H. Wiersema. January 2017, p. 36. Poka-yoke Go. Bill O’Leary. February 2017, p. 19. Paid more for doing better. William H. Wiersema. February 2017, p. 34. Concerted activity and social media policy. Bill O’Leary. March 2017, p. 17. Feature | Business Growth
The M&A wave
Freeman Enclosure Systems, of Batavia, Ohio, a manufacturer of custom generator enclosures and fuel tanks, is one of several acquisitions made in recent years by IES Infrastructure Solutions of Massillon, Ohio. —IES Infrastructure Solutions photo
Over the past decade, private equity and strategic buyers have been changing the landscape of the electromechanical service industry. What’s next? By Kevin Jones, EA Senior Editor Mention the phrase “mergers and acquisitions” to some people and they might picture Gordon Gekko in “Wall Street” — the corporate titan and 1980s icon who prowled the business landscape and mercilessly snatched up companies he could strip of assets and sell at a tidy profit before moving on to his next victim. He viewed his actions as commendable because, as Gekko famously said, “greed is good.” As with all things Hollywood, though, the reality of mergers and acquisitions is far more complex and nuanced than the big-screen fantasy would have us believe. The world of mergers and acquisitions is populated by far more good guys than bad. Whether or not greed is good is a question best left to the philosophers; there’s a strong case to be made, though, that mergers and acquisitions occupy an important niche in the economic ecosystem, matching up buyers and sellers efficiently and providing the capital that makes it possible for business owners and buyers to achieve their financial goals.
Broadly speaking, mergers and acquisitions in the U.S. appear to have hit a speed bump in recent months, as the Covid-19 pandemic has brought about a tightening of credit and the Presidential and Congressional elections have raised uncertainty about possible changes in the Tax Code. As Electrical Apparatus Contributing Editor William Wiersema observes in his contribution this month (“Buying or selling a business post-Covid,” page 35), economic conditions nationwide have “suppressed valuations and debt availability,” causing deals to be “renegotiated or even stopped entirely.” In the broader economy, a former seller’s market may be undergoing a transformation into a buyer’s market, Bill writes. Buyers and sellers alike need to adjust to a new reality and adjust their strategies and expectations accordingly. But that’s the state of the broader economy, which in Bill’s perceptive analysis includes industries as diverse as online retailers, sellers of personal protective equipment, home fitness, home remodeling products, and airlines. If we narrow our focus and look solely at the business of selling and servicing electrical and mechanical machines and systems, the picture is more difficult to bring into view, because the Please turn to next page ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | NOVEMBER 2020 21
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Pump failures and pump modifications
they can get loose on the shaft,” Vogel warned. “Think of the impeller as having these ‘inspection Appropriately, since pump drives are such a common motor applicazones’: the suction eye, leading edge of the vane, tion, EASA’s pump expert, Gene Vogel, offered two presentations this and the wear ring, around the O.D. of the suction year. One of them, “Why Pumps Fail,” offered three main reasons: seal eye. On the back side, the outside shrouds, disfailure, impeller damage, and bearing failure. charge area, shaft bore, and keyway. That will help “The mechanical seal is a very simple device,” said Vogel, but it is you assess damage.” subject to five common causes of trouble of which “the big one is heat.” Erosion is highly influenced by flow velocity on exThe others: “abrasive pumpage, vibration, chemical attack, and imposed surfaces. Most often oxidation and corrosion proper assembly.” Conditions involved include surface speed, pressure affect all exposed surfaces. With bronze impellers, between seal faces, force exerted on seal faces by pumpage pressure, de-zincification is common. friction coefficient of seal material (carbon-ceramic, silicon carbide, “You’ll see surface redness, indicating exposed tungsten carbide), pumpage temperature, and flow rate. copper where the zinc is eaten away.” For impeller “Abrasive pumpage” most often results from suspended solids. Abrarepair, a ceramic epoxy should be used to restore sive crystals can settle out of salt water, for example – especially damsurfaces; once damage starts and the surface beaging to carbon faces. Vibration may result from unbalance, misaligncomes rough, the damage will accelerate. But, Vogel ment, or cavitation. Improper added, “I’ve never seen de-zincifiassembly can cut the edges cation in a water pump.” And “hard of O-rings. water does not cause pump erosion, “One of the things you because the contaminant is at a pardon’t want to do,” warned ticle level, not a molecular level.” Vogel, “is to add grease.” One audience member asked, And “the stationary seat of For thrust balancing, which is best: a seal has to be perpendicuback-to-back or face-to-face bearing lar to the shaft axis.” Seal assembly? Vogel’s answer was that tension adjustment may it depends on the shaft and bearing be improper. “Generally it housing assembly. The application should be set according itself doesn’t care. Another question: to the application,” Vogel Is it only corrosion that causes desaid. Also, “a seal face is a zincification? The answer was yes, lapped surface. Be careful to that’s a form of corrosion. Chlorine preserve that smoothness. is one causative agent. Finally, the Always rinse the surface off question was asked, Can shaft curwith water.” rents from a VFD work their way into Impeller failures include the pump and cause corrosion? To erosion, corrosion (chemical which the answer was that galvanic attack), and cavitation – a Among the slides presented by Gene Vogel was one showing corrosion can ensue from any voltcomplex condition. “And several types of impeller damage. age source. — Richard Nailen
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Batteries Innovations in battery technology. Richard L. Nailen. March 2017, p. 25. Spare some change? Charlie Barks. January 2018, p. 10. Utility batteries not driven by price alone. David Miller. May 2020, p. 44. EV batteries power up. Charlie Barks. July 2020, p. 14. Tesla’s Battery Day proves to be a mixed bag. David Miller. December 2020, p. 10.
in HVAC, refrigeration, some traction, some mining or excavating.” Getting to know reluctance machines The rotor has salient poles but no winding or permanent magnets. An overview of a family of electric motors few of The stator winding may be 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-,. or 5-phase configuration. us are familiar with – reluctance machines - was Speed depends upon the frequency and the number of rotor poles. presented by EASA’s Mike Howell, and as he said, Pole numbers are always different in the stator and rotor. Such a ma“We don’t see very often in service centers,” but chine is not self-starting and can suffer from excessive torque ripple they are “going to become more prevalent. They’ve (a major issue) or noise. Winding for a larger number of phases can been around since the 1800s, but only in the last reduce torque ripple, but the controls become much more complex few decades have become more and costly. Added Howell, “There’s a lot of interest in widely used. Advancement in sensorless vector control – very challenging.” power electronics has made that The synchronous reluctance machine (also known possible. The basic principle is that as the “synduction” machine) has a stator bore that is torque is produced by the tendency slotted but otherwise smooth, with a polyphase windof a rotor to move to a position ing (either concentric or distributed) in the slots. The where the inductance of an excited concept dates from the late 19th century. winding is maximized and the cur“The stator looks like any induction machine,” rent is least.” explained Howell, “with either a concentric or lap The two types of motors involved winding,” and draws a set of polyphase, balanced sine are the switched reluctance and the wave currents. Stator and rotor always contain the synchronous reluctance designs. In same number of poles. It’s easier to understand than he first type, also called the “varithe switched reluctance type. It also is not self-startable reluctance motor,” both stator ing, however. Lacking any rotor windings, it relies on and rotor contain salient poles. rotor saliency to produce torque. Ratings can be up Each stator pole has its own “fracto 600-800 hp, mostly 4-pole (although a wide speed Mike Howell tional slot” concentrated winding. range is possible). Most have smaller air gaps than Current pulses are applied to each in turn. comparable induction machines and are constructed in the same ba“This concept originated back in the 1830s,” exsic frame sizes as standard squirrel-cage motors. Applications include plained Howell, “but it can’t operate without a very extruders, mixers, fans, pumps, and compressors. One downside is magnetic noise. — Richard Nailen special electronic drive. Applications for these are
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Share the wealth. Bill O’Leary. April 2017, p. 42. Preparing for new penalties on imports. William H. Wiersema. May 2017, p. 37. Be considerate toward your elders. Bill O’Leary. May 2017, p. 54. Branding 101. Bill O’Leary. June 2017, p. 63. Beware of labor pitfalls. William H. Wiersema. July 2017, p. 29. What’s new in service shop software? Charlie Barks. August 2017, p. 49. Are you a servant-leader? Bill O’Leary. August 2017, p. 59. Managing change. Selena Cotte. September 2017, p. 16. Fill the leadership pipeline. Bill O’Leary. September 2017, p. 18. Europe gets it together. Pan Demetrakakes. October 2017, p. 12. U.S. taxation for foreign businesses. William H. Wiersema. October 2017, p. 37. Global perspective. Bill O’Leary. October 2017, p. 39. Inspiration abroad. Selena Cotte. October 2017, p. 46. Why companies underperform. William H. Wiersema. November 2017, p. 30. To pay or not to pay. Bill O’Leary. November 2017, p. 42. Taking ownership. Bill O’Leary. December 2017, p. 38. Spare some change? Charlie Barks. January 2018, p. 10. More than an assembly line. Selena Cotte. January 2018, p. 20. Coping with change. Bill O’Leary. January 2018, p. 42. Resourcefulness and value. Bill O’Leary. February 2018, p. 38. Balance the old with the new. Bill O’Leary. March 2018, p. 46. The cost of competition. Bill O’Leary. April 2018, p. 42. The inside looking in. Bill O’Leary. April 2018, p. 48. The art of negotiation. Bill O’Leary. May 2018, p. 58. Money-saving tips for the smart manager. William H. Wiersema. June 2018, p. 42. Time to buy, or sell? The Electrical Apparatus staff. June 2018, p. 56. Virtual teamwork. Bill O’Leary. June 2018, p. 60. Corporate unity. Bill O’Leary. July 2018, p. 43. Strategic flexibility. Bill O’Leary. August 2018, p. 57. The right niche. William H. Wiersema. September 2018, p. 36. Shifting responsibilities. Bill O’Leary. September 2018, p. 38.
Downward and onward! Bill O’Leary. October 2018, p. 39. What’s new, financially, for buyers of businesses. William H. Wiersema. November 2018, p. 39. Contract service: What’s in it for you? By the Electrical Apparatus staff. November 2018, p. 42. Learning made easy. Bill O’Leary. November 2018, p. 46. Where’s the cash? William H. Wiersema. December 2018, p. 32. To rent or to buy? Bill O’Leary. December 2018, p. 42. Efficient time use. Bill O’Leary. January 2019, p. 16. Planning for retirement. William H. Wiersema. January 2019, p. 37. Perking up the work force. Bill O’Leary. January 2019, p. 45. Structuring a new venture. William H. Wiersema. February 2019, p. 37. Striving for a score of zero. Selena Cotte. February 2019, p. 42. The diagnostic plant tour. William H. Wiersema. April 2019, p. 33. My boss, my friend? Bill O’Leary. April 2019, p. 45. Predictive financial tools. William H. Wiersema. May 2019, p. 41. Which type are you? Bill O’Leary. May 2019, p. 47. Managing by the numbers. William H. Wiersema. June 2019, p. 52. “Brother, can you spare a loan?”€ Bill O’Leary. June 2019, p. 74. Hands-on or hands-0ff? Bill O’Leary. July 2019, p. 47. Helping firms go international. Bill O’Leary. October 2019, p. 25. Managing, the Japanese way. Bill O’Leary. October 2019, p. 43. Ending child labor worldwide. Selena Cotte. October 2019, p. 44. How to say goodbye. Bill O’Leary. November 2019, p. 46. When employees become owners. Selena Cotte. January 2020, p. 14. Field customer service for manufacturers. Selena Cotte. February 2020, p. 20. The show must go on. Selena Cotte. April 2020, p. 38. The Covid-19 pandemic has hit quarterly financial results unevenly. Kevin Jones. June 2020, p. 9. Executive incentives today. William H. Wiersema. June 2020, p. 47. Pandemic provides a boost for remote condition monitoring. Kevin Jones. July 2020, p. 10. Product, product everywhere. Selena Cotte. August 2020, p. 42. Major electrical manufacturers express their social responsibility. Kevin Jones. November 2020, p. 8. The value of giving back. Selena Cotte. November 2020, p. 13. A BARKS PUBLICATION
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quency drives. Bill O’Leary. September 2016, p. 24. Pump speed variation: look beyond the ASD. Richard L. Nailen. February 2017, p. 31. Drive to succeed. Pan Demetrakakes. September 2018, p. 14.
Circuits & Circuitry
Electric Vehicles
The truth about arc-fault circuit interrupters. Richard L. Nailen. May 2020, p. 31. The “whisker” problem. Richard L. Nailen. August 2020, p. 31.
Energy-efficiency is so last year. Kevin Jones & Selena Cotte. November 2017, p. 16. EV-olution. The Electrical Apparatus staff. March 2018, p. 16. Tesla’s safety problem. Matt Raebel. November 2018, p. 45. Will electric motor workers be the auto mechanics of the future? David Miller. January 2019, p. 16. Charge ’em up. David Miller. March 2019, p. 16. Lightning in a bottle. David Miller. July 2019, p. 23. Driving towards a greener tomorrow. Bill O’Leary. July 2019, p. 29. What EA readers are saying about EVs. July 2019, p. 35. “Gentlemen, charge your engines!” William H. Wiersema. July 2019, p. 42. When auto plants go electric. Selena Cotte. July 2019, p. 50. Electric vehicles and hybrids come of age. Charlie Barks. October 2019, p. 16. Code check: ICC projects an EV-filled future. Charlie Barks. March 2020, p. 37. The future of EV charging. Selena Cotte. July 2020, p. 16. Electric vehicle roundup. Electric Apparatus editorial staff. July 2020, p. 23. Electrification of buses hits a speed bump. Kevin Jones. July 2020, p. 24. “Not for the faint of heart.” Selena Cotte. July 2020, p. 26. Amidst pandemic, governments play outsized role in EV prospects. David Miller. October 2020, p. 16.
Codes & Standards IEEE’s insulation maintenance guide and its shortcomings. Richard L. Nailen. February 2016, p. 27. What’s become of the Color Books? Richard L. Nailen. April 2016, p. 24. The Canadian standards system. Richard L. Nailen. May 2016, p. 20. The problem with “free.” Richard L. Nailen. June 2016, p. 50. A brief look at the 2017 NEC. Richard L. Nailen. October 2016, p. 25. The problem with AFCIs. Richard L. Nailen. November 2016, p. 27. Smart grid, dumb standards? Richard L. Nailen. March 2017, p. 14. Welcome to the wide world of standards. Richard L. Nailen. October 2017, p. 25. A quarter-century of EPAct. Pan Demetrakakes. December 2017, p. 12. Current affairs. Pan Demetrakakes. April 2018, p. 21. Are motors being properly repaired? Richard L. Nailen. April 2018, p. 33. Work in progress. Richard L. Nailen. August 2018, p. 33. Keeping up with changing motor standards. Richard L. Nailen. September 2019, p. 31. The 2020 NEC is a mixed bag. Richard L. Nailen. November 2019, p. 18. The high cost of standards. Richard L. Nailen. November 2019, p. 31. How well do we understand ambient? Richard L. Nailen. June 2020, p. 41. What’s become of IEEE 1415? Richard L. Nailen. July 2020, p. 19. Harmonization: still a ways to go. Richard L. Nailen. October 2020, p. 19.
Computers (See also Information Technology) The problem with Internet motor forums. Richard L. Nailen. August 2017, p. 43. The inside looking in. Bill O’Leary. April 2018, p. 48. Virtual teamwork. Bill O’Leary. June 2018, p. 60. Learn to code, lineman? David Miller. February 2020, p. 13. Webinar woes: An etiquette guide. Selena Cotte. June 2020, p.20. How online should you be? Selena Cotte. November 2020, p. 12.
Controls & Control systems The digital tide. Bill O’Leary. January 2018, p. 47.
Drives & Inverters Agriculture goes electronic. Joseph S. Hoff. September 2016, p. 21. One shop’s experience with variable-fre-
Elevator Technology Elevator evolution. Pan Demetrakakes. June 2018, p. 25. A legacy of quality. Selena Cotte. June 2018, p. 31. What’s up with elevators. Charlie Barks. May 2020, p. 14.
Emergencies Weathering the storm. Bill O’Leary. April 2016, p. 32. Charge culture. Bill O’Leary. August 2017, p. 58.
Energy LEED-ing the way. Joseph S. Hoff. February 2016, p. 23. Shedding energy costs. Charlie Barks. August 2016, p. 23. Winds of change across the pond. Charlie Barks. October 2017, p. 18. “Are we there yet?” Richard L. Nailen. December 2017, p. 27. Spare some change? Charlie Barks. January 2018, p. 10. Loyola LEED buildings. Selena Cotte & Charlie Barks. February 2018, p. 21. LEEDing questions. The Electrical Apparatus staff. February 2018, p. 25. What’s current in wind. The Electrical Apparatus staff. April 2018, p. 14. Shooting the breeze at Windpower 2018. Kevin Jones & Matt Raebel. April 2018, p. 44.
Renewables meet coal. Jane Powell. May 2018, p. 54 Wind power industry seeks to move to the next level. The Electrical Apparatus staff. June 2018, p. 14. U.S. wind takes a victory lap. Kevin Jones & Selena Cotte. July 2018, p. 19. Winds of opportunity. Bill O’Leary. July 2018, p. 21. Coal under pressure. David Miller. December 2018, p. 12. An ancient source of renewable energy. The Electrical Apparatus staff. December 2018, p. 36. When did we start caring about efficiency? David Miller. February 2019, p. 19. Mining the sun. David Miller. April 2019, p. 14. From waste to fuel. Selena Cotte. April 2019, p. 21. Does the U.S. have an energy strategy? Richard L. Nailen. April 2019, p. 27. Where’s new with solar? The Electrical Apparatus staff. April 2019, p. 42. Energy waves. Bill O’Leary. April 2019, p. 50. All about the green. David Miller. May 2019, p. 14. Decentralized generation with geothermal HVAC/R. David Miller. March 2020, p. 18. The many sources of clean energy. Selena Cotte. August 2020, p. 10. Hydrogen pipe dreams. David Miller. August 2020, p. 13.
Energy Legislation A quarter-century of EPAct. Pan Demetrakakes. December 2017, p. 12. Current affairs. Pan Demetrakakes. April 2018, p. 21. Renewables surpass coal but employment still falls. Kevin Jones. June 2020, p. 23. Moving forward with green energy projects. Kevin Jones. June 2020, p. 51.
Generators (See Motors & Generators)
Facility Management Efficient building management. Nina Kellerman. February 2016, p. 12. Play ball! Bill O’Leary. May 2018, p. 29.
HVAC/R What’s cool in HVAC/R. The Electrical Apparatus staff. January 2020, p. 18. Utilities help customers improve HVAC/R efficiency. Kevin Jones. March 2020, p. 6. A BARKS PUBLICATION
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Jack Klaus, project and application engineer, reviews some data collected from Zeller’s ABB Ability motor sensor service.
What’s smart in HVAC/R? Selena Cotte. March 2020, p. 12. How to get a start in the HVAC/R trade. Kevin Jones. March 2020, p. 13. HVAC/R society offers information you can use. Kevin Jones. March 2020, p. 24. HVAC/R heats up local economy. David Miller. March 2020, p. 25. Efficient pumps, efficient HVAC/R. Kevin Jones. March 2020, p. 39.
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Information Technology (See also Computers) Be social. Bill O’Leary. January 2016, p. 38. Space Invaders. Bill O’Leary. May 2016, p. 44. Hello, may I interest you in a blog? Bill O’Leary. August 2016, p. 42. How to handle the Internet of things. Bill O’Leary. September 2016, p. 36. The rise and fall of the Bitcoin empire. Bill O’Leary. October 2016, p. 36. Block party. Bill O’Leary. December 2016, p. 36. Ride the Rift. Bill O’Leary. January 2017, p. 14. Software sense and sensibility. Bill O’Leary. February 2017, p. 15. Alternate realities. Charlie Barks. March 2017, p. 36. Automation nation. Bill O’Leary. March 2017, p. 41. Web crawl. Bill O’Leary. April 2017, p. 46. Let’s have a (virtual) meeting! Bill O’Leary. May 2017, p. 55. Big data. Big decisions. Bill O’Leary. July 2017, p. 34. Internet of Things is the talk of Tampa. Bill O’Leary. August 2017, p. 20. What’s new in service shop software? Charlie Barks. August 2017, p. 49. 3-D Printing ’round the world. Bill O’Leary. October 2017, p. 42. The digital tide. Bill O’Leary. January 2018, p. 47. The inside looking in. Bill O’Leary. April 2018, p. 48. Virtual teamwork. Bill O’Leary. June 2018, p. 60. Smart machines and you. Bill O’Leary. September 2018, p. 40. Let’s get social. Bill O’Leary. December 2018, p. 49. Alexa goes to work. Bill O’Leary. February 2019, p. 40. Your personality, on display. Bill O’Leary. June 2019, p. 77. Mind your e-manners. Bill O’Leary. September 2019, p. 41. Privacy vs. monitoring on the Internet of Things. Matt Raebel. September 2019, p. 43
Index of Articles 2016-2020
Remote management for plants. Selena Cotte. November 2020, p. 40. Ransomware and other threats against manufacturing. Selena Cotte. December 2020, p. 10. Are your virtual meetings secure? Selena Cotte. December 2020, p. 38.
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INDEX continued
Index of Articles 2016-2020
Location, location, location. Bill O’Leary. October 2019, p. 46. 5G, explained. Selena Cotte. December 2019, p. 43. The next phase of IIoT. Selena Cotte. December 2019, p. 45. Keeping up with new tech. Selena Cotte. January 2020, p. 43. Privacy and the Internet of Things. Charlie Barks. July 2020, p. 37. Ransomware and other threats against manufacturing. Selena Cotte. December 2020, p. 10.
Instruments (See Testing & Measuring)
Insulation (See Motors & Generators)
Inventory Control The problem with slow-moving inventory. William H. Wiersema. July 2016, p. 32.
Maintenance Where tradition meets the modern. Joseph S. Hoff. January 2016, p. 19. Stop, look, and listen. Richard L. Nailen. March 2016, p. 25. Taking stock of maintainability. Jane Powell Campbell. April 2016, p. 36. Shedding energy costs. Charlie Barks. August 2016, p. 23. Find your bottleneck(s). Bill O’Leary. December 2016, p. 41.
Manufacturing Manufacturing meeting in Milwaukee. Charlie Barks, Kevin Jones & Joseph Hoff. April 2016, p. 9. The future of manufacturing on display. The Electrical Apparatus staff. October 2016, p. 12. A manufacturing show for everyone. The Electrical Apparatus staff. October 2016, p. 32. Brexit and U.K. manufacturing. Charlie Barks. October 2016, p. 34. Innovation afoot. Bill O’Leary. March 2017, p. 19. Broad horizons. Kevin Jones. June 2017, p. 28. Managing change. Selena Cotte. September 2017, p. 16. Flex time. Pan Demetrakakes. September 2017, p. 21. Going the custom route. Charlie Barks. September 2017, p. 26. Inspiration abroad. Selena Cotte. October 2017, p. 46. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Selena Cotte. November 2017, p. 41. Accustomed to transforming. Charlie Barks. December 2017, p. 21. What goes into a plant. Selena Cotte. December 2017, p. 37. Blacksmithing in the 21st century. Selena Cotte. December 2017, p. 39. More than an assembly line. Selena Cotte. January 2018, p. 20. Origins of the efficient factory. Selena Cotte. February 2018, p. 44. Buying in. Pan Demetrakakes. March 2018, p. 10. Innovation on the factory floor. The Electrical Apparatus Staff. March 2018, p. 24.
Feature | Manufacturing
Pharmaceutical grade pumps: Just what the doctor ordered
—LEWA Inc. photo
In pharmaceutical processing, a good pump is at the center of a successful operation.
Pharmaceutical manufacturing needs equipment that is reliable, easy to clean and drain, and manufactured according to strict, tightly regulated guidelines from the FDA. Pumps, a vital piece of most process manufacturing, must be especially sanitary, efficient, and capable of a tion, taking years variety of functions.
By Selena Cotte, EA Managing Editor Next time you pop an ibuprofen, or fill a prescription for an antibiotic, consider where that pill came from. Many therapeutic drugs originate from plants, and come a long way to the capsules we ingest without much thought, such as opiates, which are derived from the notorious opium flower. Most require deep chemical interven-
of research and development to so perfectly aid a medical problem while causing the least harm. No matter where the drug came from, in order to be legally prescribed in the United States, it has to be tightly controlled and regulated--no one is (legally) mixing up life-saving or aiding cocktails in their basement. Every pill of a kind has to be the same exact kind, with no contaminants and consistent dosing. The pharmaceutical industry has regulated its
manufacturing process with such precision that we hardly give a second thought to the Advil we’re taking, or the Tums we reach for. We have a headache or heartburn, and 30 minutes or so later, we have the same relief we expect. This has been no easy feat. The pharmaceutical industry has a history that closely mirrors the Industrial Revolution. While herbal remedies and old family secrets reigned supreme in the olden days, the mid-19th century saw a booming market of wholesale manufacture, both due to scientific possibilities that did not previously exist, and the infrastructure to distribute more sophisticated products around the country through newly built railroads. As opposed to the leaves and serums of the more distant past, this era saw more emphasis on applied research and intentional drug discovery as a result of more advanced chemistry knowledge. However, the work would mostly be done by small scale manufacturers until the early 20th century, when more stringent regulations came in from the U.S. government through the Pure Food and Drugs Act, which outlawed national distribution of mislabeled products (passed in 1906); and later on the Federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act, which required pre-market testing to prove drug safety and efficacy (passed in 1938, a year after 100+ people died from consuming a healing elixir we now consider antifreeze). From then on, it became impractical for small-time operations to continue work in the pharmacology field, as research and quality control are expensive, specialized skills. Thus, the Please turn to next page
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Strong impressions. Bill O’Leary, March 2018, p. 25. The thing about the Industrial Internet of Things. Selena Cotte. April 2018, p. 24. A city built on manufacturing. Richard L. Nailen. May 2018, p. 45. Opioids on the job. Selena Cotte. May 2018, p. 62. Walking tour. Selena Cotte. June 2018, p. 23. A legacy of quality. Selena Cotte. June 2018, p. 31. What’s next in 3D printing? The Electrical Apparatus staff. July 2018, p. 36. Taking learning to the plant floor. Selena Cotte. July 2018, p. 42. Upward mobility in manufacturing. Selena Cotte. August 2018, p. 60. Something for everyone at IMTS 2018. Elizabeth Van Ness. September 2018, p. 18. Transformers built to last. Selena Cotte. September 2018, p. 23. A world of opportunity in robotics. Matt Raebel. September 2018, p. 42. “Domo arigato, misuta robotto.” Selena Cotte. September 2018, p. 48. Global in more ways than one. The Electrical Apparatus staff. October 2018, p. 18. Future perfect. Selena Cotte. October 2018, p. 25. CNC machining and the shop. Bill O’Leary & Matt Raebel. October 2018, p. 42. Smart for all. Selena Cotte. October 2018, p. 48. Better together. Bill O’Leary. November 2018, p. 25. Tariff tiff. Selena Cotte. November 2018, p. 50. One size does not fit all. Selena Cotte. December 2018, p. 48. Middle-of-the-road brewer. Bill O’Leary. March 2019, p. 24. An efficient team of beer lovers. Matt Raebel. March 2019, p. 26. Classic yet refined. Selena Cotte. March 2019, p. 29. Where quirkiness belies careful planning. Selena Cotte. March 2019, p. 32. A passion for beer—and sound maintenance. Charlie Barks. March 2019, p. 35. Guess who’s back in town? Selena Cotte. March 2019, p. 51. What happens when the power goes out? Selena Cotte. April 2019, p. 38. What to make of trends in manufacturing? Selena Cotte. June 2019, p. 75. Made in America: the rise and fall of factory towns. David Miller. August 2019, p. 29.
The decline of the manufacturing union job. Selena Cotte. August 2019, p. 49. The metals industry today. William H. Wiersema. September 2019, p. 38. What’s old is new. Selena Cotte. September 2019, p. 46. In manufacturing, uncertainty rules. Kevin Jones. November 2019, p. 21. The reshoring revolution. David Miller. January 2020, p. 23. Just one word: plastics. William H. Wiersema. February 2020, p. 35. Coronavirus and the supply chain. Selena Cotte. March 2020, p. 40. The end of an era for manufacturing? Selena Cotte. June 2020, p. 55. Beyond Fordism. David Miller. July 2020, p. 40. Machine, print me a cheeseburger. Selena Cotte. October 2020, p. 12. Food and beverage Manufacturing gets flexible. David Miller. October 2020, p. 40.
Motor Performance Managing motor overloads. Richard L. Nailen. January 2016, p. 23. The motor efficiency numbers game. Richard L. Nailen. September 2016, p. 27. What’s next in a-c motor improvement? Richard L. Nailen. December 2016, p. 23. Motor efficiency myths. Richard L. Nailen. April 2017, p. 33. Motor air gap: a necessary evil. Richard L. Nailen. May 2018, p. 34. Starts per hour: not as simple as it looks. Richard L. Nailen. June 2018, p. 35. How practical is the “calibrated” motor? Richard L. Nailen. December 2018, p. 27. Efficiency comparisons may not be easy. Richard L. Nailen. February 2019, p. 31. When did we start caring about efficiency? David Miller. February 2019, p. 19. Efficiency comparisons may not be easy. Richard L. Nailen. February 2019, p. 31. How clear is your crystal ball? Richard L. Nailen. March 2019, p. 39. What goes up . . . must stop sometime. Richard L. Nailen. August 2019, p. 33. Some reminders about motor efficiency. Richard L. Nailen. July 2020, p. 27.
Motor Protection When voltage varies. Richard L. Nailen. November 2017, p. 25.
Motors & Generators (See also Motor performance and Motor
—David Nance, USDA ARS image
From farm to factory: How motors bring food to the table Food, one of the most ubiquitous elements of the human experience, goes through a long industrialized process to get from soil to bowl. By Selena Cotte, EA Managing Editor Whether you enjoy the ritual of cooking an elaborate and thoughtout dinner, or merely eat the same brand of frozen pasta for lunch everyday, you probably understand the importance of easily accessible (and tasty) foods. In most cases, when it comes to figuring out the logistics of sustenance, our lives are too complex to manage much more than just grocery store trips — largely as a result of industrialization. For your average American, food cultivation
and processing isn’t manageable with all of the other duties we take on, aside from harvesting the occasional tomato plant or two. It wasn’t always like this: Once, we were all responsible for our own hunting and gathering, more dependent on whether our family members or local community did their duty in shooting game and picking non-poisonous mushrooms than on shipments and efficient agricultural and factory conditions. While this history is quite ancient, and had evolved long before industrialization became possible, it still illustrates the different, backstage role that food and eating plays in our daily lives. We are more removed from it than ever — but perhaps we
depend on its reliability more than ever as well. Even if you do fancy yourself a farmer, your options would be far more limited if you stuck to that which you produced yourself. Want guacamole but don’t live in a region with avocados? Your dreams don’t have to be dreams with the intricate processing and distribution at play that allow you to either collect your own ingredients at a local market — or pick up a pre-made dip that will satisfy in a pinch. Like most modern industries, this minor convenience is the result of a complicated industrial chain, beginning in nature still, but taking several mechanical detours through the way. This article hopes to cover some of the major intersections between electromechanical equipment and the journey of food, beginning with farming and agriculture.
Industrial agriculture Industrial agriculture is more than just farming that makes use Please turn to next page ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | OCTOBER 2020 25
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More than Motors
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protection.) Safe motor storage. Richard L. Nailen. June 2016, p. 31. Peas in a pod: Are they really? Richard L. Nailen. August 2016, p. 27. From concept to customer: How a new motor comes to market. Richard L. Nailen. December 2016, p. 14. Solving the rotor bar dilemma. Richard L. Nailen. January 2017, p. 25. What makes insulation “sealed”? Richard L. Nailen. May 2017, p. 33. Another look at the conventional synchronous motor. Richard L. Nailen. June 2017, p. 35. The problem with Internet motor forums. Richard L. Nailen. August 2017, p. 43. Cool it! Richard L. Nailen. January 2018, p. 24. The influence of rotor bar materials. Richard L. Nailen. February 2018, p. 29. Motor voltage: nameplate rating vs. supply. Richard L. Nailen. March 2018, p. 31. For servos, there’s no place like home. Pan Demetrakakes. May 2018, p. 12. Servomotors. The Electrical Apparatus staff. May 2018, p. 18. The market for metric. David Miller. October 2018, p. 14. The metric difference. Richard L. Nailen. October 2018, p. 31. “Minor” motor insulation is also important. Richard L. Nailen. November 2018, p. 31. How practical is the calibrated motor? Richard L. Nailen. December 2018, p. 27. Applying apparatus outdoors. Richard L. Nailen. January 2019, p. 25. What’s in a nameplate? Richard L. Nailen. June 2019, p. 45. Developments in cast copper rotors. Richard L. Nailen. July 2019, p. 36. Still waiting for the high-temperature superconducting motor. Richard L. Nailen. September 2019, p. 12. Spooks on the power line. Richard L. Nailen. November 2019, p. 29. Motor life: not a simple concept. Richard L. Nailen. December 2019, p. 31. Good, better, best. Richard L. Nailen. January 2020, p. 27. Understanding a motor’s service factor. Richard L. Nailen. October 2020, p. 21. From farm to factory: How motors bring food to the table. Selena Cotte. October 2020, p. 25. A question of motor size. Richard L. Nailen. November 2020, p. 29. “Revolutionary motor technology”: marketing or reality? Kevin Jones & Selena Cotte. December 2020, p. 23. Large, medium, small: What’s the
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difference? Richard L. Nailen. December 2020, p. 29. What do we mean by “cyclic load”? Richard L. Nailen. December 2020, p. 42.
Power Systems
A BARKS PUBLICATION
More than Motors
The road ahead for electric vehicles
Power Transmission, Mechanical Dressing for industrial V-belts: yes or no? Richard L. Nailen. April 2017, p. 27. Transformers built to last. Selena Cotte. September 2018, p. 23.
Pumping Systems Pump speed variation: look beyond the ASD. Richard L. Nailen. February 2017, p. 31. Be safe around pumps. Charlie Barks. August 2017, p. 56. Staying in the flow. Pam Demetrakakes. August 2018, p. 14. Record oil production pushes demand for pumps. Kevin Jones. November 2019, p. 45. Pumps and motors: a match made in heaven. Kevin Jones. December 2019, p. 44. Pump firms lead in workforce development. Kevin Jones. January 2020, p. 44. New pump efficiency rule now in effect. Kevin Jones. February 2020, p. 43. Efficient pumps, efficient HVAC/R. Kevin Jones. March 2020, p. 39. Improving pump efficiency. Kevin Jones. April 2020, p.36. When “flushables” clog the pumps. Kevin Jones. May 2020. p. 46. Pool pump season is here. Kevin Jones. June 2020, p. 53. EVs no place for pumps? Wrong! Kevin Jones. July 2020, p. 39. Pharmaceutical grade pumps: Just what the doctor ordered. Selena Cotte. August 2020, p. 25. New guidance for pump efficiency incentives. Kevin Jones. August 2020, p. 40. Know your food and beverage pumps. David Miller. October 2020, p. 41. Delivering water responsibly. Kevin Jones. November 2020, p. 41. Trends in pump design. Kevin Jones. December 2020, p. 39.
JULY 2020 / $5
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The future of EV charging Automated manufacturing Pumps in electric vehicles Reviewing motor efficiency Rethinking retirement
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More than motors: HVAC/R. The Electrical Apparatus staff. January 2018, p. 16. The fix is in. Pan Demetrakakes. January 2018, p. 21. Are motors being properly repaired? Richard L. Nailen. April 2018, p. 33. What does motor “reconditioning” involve? Richard L. Nailen. July 2018, p. 26. Motor repair standards: still evolving? Richard L. Nailen. May 2019, p.34. A republic, if we can fix it. David Miller. June 2019, p. 37. Industrial-use drones: a primer. Selena Cotte. February 2020, p. 41. The future of the small, independent shop. David Miller. June 2020, p. 33,
Safety & Health Staying current with OSHA. Joseph S. Hoff. January 2016, p. 37. Getting a grip on hand and power tools. Joseph S. Hoff. February 2016, p. 34. Why emergency preparedness can make the difference. Joseph S. Hoff. March 2016, p. 36. Keep it down! Joseph S. Hoff. April 2016, p. 31.
Repair Operations When “just fix it” isn’t enough. Richard L. Nailen. October 2016, p. 8.
Precision Electric Motor Works of Clifton, N.J., purchased earlier this year, was the most recent acquisition of Integrated Power Services of Greenville, S.C., a company that now operates service and sales facilities across the U.S. and Canada. — Integrated Power Services photo
The Security Industry Association. Charlie Barks. May 2020, p. 26. The Covid-19 stimulus. William H. Wiersema. May 2020, p. 38. Clean plant, healthy employees. Kevin Jones. May 2020, p. 41. Invoking the Defense Production Act. Selena Cotte. May 2020, p. 43. When “flushables” clog the pumps. Kevin Jones. May 2020, p. 46. 3D printers: The medical industry’s latest resource. Selena Cotte. May 2020, p. 50. No rest for the regulators. Kevin Jones. July 2020, p. 43. Safe manufacturing post-Covid-19. William H. Wiersema. August 2020, p. 36. Anti-nuclear meltdown. David Miller. August 2020, p. 43. Robots boost plant safety post-Covid. David Miller. November 2020, p. 42.
Service & Sales Companies (Featured in full-length articles) Advanced Motor Solutions, Hamilton, Ontario. Diverse team, diverse market. Selena Cotte. February 2020, p. 23. Automation & Control Technologies, Perrysburg, Ohio. Two of a kind. Bill O’Leary. May 2019, p. 27. Arizona Electric Motor Service, Tucson, Arizona. From “The Service” to motor service. July 2017, p. 17. BlueRidge.ai, Fulton, Md. Motor intelligence. Charlie Barks. September 2019, p. 25 Blue Ridge Electric Service, Winchester, Va. Charlie Barks. September 2019, p. 25. Close the Loop, Hebron, Ky. Toner Power. March 2016, p. 19. Controls and Electric Motor Company, Joplin. Mo. Weathering the storm. Bill O’Leary. April 2016, p. 32. EEMSCO, Evansville, Ind. A lesson in longevity. Kevin Jones. April 2016, p. 19. the manufacturer’s exact recommendations if possible, and also ensure you are not over lubricating.
A struggle to connect... ...to power, that is. While farms commonly make use of heavy duty electrical equipment, not all of them have the energy infrastructure to handle all that force. “WWhen it comes to applications like these, the availability of power becomes an issue,” said Ben Morris, director of sales and marketing at Single Phase Power Solutions, manufacturer of the Belle motor. “The electrical grid is not that great in rural areas where a lot of farming is, and more and more of farming is moving toward these large farms with large equipment that is outgrowing the ability of their power sources.” Some farms are reliant on diesel to solve this challenge, but this can get pricey — not to mention environmental concerns about oil and gas becoming more pressing, leaving many to seek a more sustainable solution. “Many have turned to diesel generators that are dirty, not environmentally friendly, expensive to run — costing thousands of dollars a month,” Morris said.
SPPS, which markets its Belle motor for a variety of industries, has strong ties to agricultural work, and has developed a proprietary 1-to-3 power source solution to this precise challenge that “lowers operating cost, is environmentally cleaner, and more energy efficient,” according to Morris. While it would be exorbitantly unreasonable for most farmers to replace that infrastructure entirely, SPPS uses its patented generator solution at a fraction of the cost. “The power source itself, it takes a single phase input, our 100 horsepower Belle motor is coupled to a three-phase generator, and as the motor turns, it produces three-phase electricity,” Morris said. “This reduces their cost — so, if they were previously doing it with diesel, and they want to install a new system anyway, this reduces cost but is still more efficient.”
Environmental changes As climate change becomes more of a threat, many farms must adapt beyond the elimination of diesel generators. For instance, a change in rainfall has the potential to wipe out a farm’s productivity if the farmers do not anticipate changes and implement new systems.
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Single Phase Power Solutions offers a patented solution to farms with sparse access to energy: A 1-to-3 power generator that allows farmers to better utilize the electricity it does have access to. —Single Phase Power Solutions image
Electric Motor Co., Redwood Falls, Minn. Rural pride. Selena Cotte. December 2019, p. 25. Electric Motor Technologies, Cincinnati, Ohio. Entering a new phase. Kevin Jones. August 2019, p. 23. Flanders, Evansville, Ind. A patriarch’s vision fulfilled. Kevin Jones. August 2018, p. 25. Industrial Repair Service, Cumming, Ga. Poised for growth. Charlie Barks. April 2018, p. 27. L&S Electric, Inc., Wausau, Wis. Above and beyond. Kevin Jones. February 2019, p. 25. Motor shops then and now. Charlie Barks. January 2016, p. 11. ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | OCTOBER 2020 29
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Keep your eyes on the road. Joseph S. Hoff. May 2016, p. 49. Dealing with summer heat and humidity. Joseph S. Hoff. June 2016, p. 40. The fire ant menace. Richard L. Nailen. July 2016, p. 23. Shedding light on workplace dangers. Joseph S. Hoff. July 2016, p. 37. Steering clear of accidents. Joseph S. Hoff. August 2016, p. 35. Addressing machine hazards. Joseph S. Hoff. September 2016, p. 35. Avoiding hazards overseas. Joseph S. Hoff. October 2016, p. 46. Get some sleep! The Electrical Apparatus staff. November 2016, p. 38. Self-balancing scooters receive the UL thumbs-up. Charlie Barks. December 2016, p. 33. Getting a grip on hand protection. Charlie Barks. December 2016, p. 44. Changing of the guard. Charlie Barks. January 2017, p. 38. Wearable safety. Charlie Barks. February 2017, p. 37. Alternate realities. Charlie Barks. March 2017, p. 36. What’s all that racket? Charlie Barks. April 2017, p. 20. Hurricane relief. Charlie Barks. May 2017, p. 44. Ocular rift. Bill O’Leary. June 2017, p. 20. Automation safety. Charlie Barks. June 2017, p. 22. What’s next for safety? Charlie Barks. July 2017, p. 31. Be safe around pumps. Charlie Barks. August 2017, p. 56. Smart meters: the larger conspiracy. Richard L. Nailen. August 2017, p. 62. Drilling down. The Electrical Apparatus staff. September 2017, p. 17. OSHA’s stricter ruling on “dangerous dust.” Charlie Barks. November 2017, p. 44. OSHA Update. Charlie Barks. March 2018, p. 38. Dangers lurking online. Charlie Barks. May 2018, p. 60. Opioids on the job. Selena Cotte. May 2018, p. 62. Cutting-edge safety: what’s next in products & programs. Matt Raebel. July 2018, p. 14. Accounting for safety. William H. Wiersema. July 2018, p. 32. The great safety debate. Matt Raebel. August 2018, p. 56. Tesla’s safety problem. Matt Raebel. November 2018, p. 45. One size does not fit all. Selena Cotte. December 2018, p. 48. Promoting un-safety by accident. Elizabeth Van Ness. January 2019, p. 20. Solar safety 101. Charlie Barks. March 2019, p. 54. Emotional balancing act. Bill O’Leary. March 2019, p. 55. Sinister silica. Matt Raebel. May 2019, p. 45. Privacy vs. monitoring on the Internet of Things. Matt Raebel. September 2019, p. 43. Crane smarts. Bill O’Leary. November 2019, p. 44. The importance of environmental protection. Selena Cotte. November 2019, p. 48. Field safety 101. Kevin Jones. February 2020, p. 40. Hydrofluorocarbon bill hits a road block. Selena Cotte. April 2020, p. 40.
Index of Articles 2016-2020
What’s become of the Color Books? Richard L. Nailen. April 2016, p. 24. When does “low voltage” become “high”? Richard L. Nailen. May 2016, p. 31. The Smart Grid and power quality. Richard L. Nailen. May 2016, p. 45. The fire ant menace. Richard L. Nailen. July 2016, p. 23. A Smart Grid user’s manual? Richard L. Nailen. February 2017, p. 18. How important is terminal screw tightness? Richard L. Nailen. February 2017, p. 27. Smart Grid, dumb standards? Richard L. Nailen. March 2017, p. 14. Innovations in battery technology. Richard L. Nailen. March 2017, p. 25. Describing the indescribable. Richard L. Nailen. January 2019, p. 20. Spooks on the power line. Richard L. Nailen. November 2019, p. 29.
Winds of change. Kevin Jones. October 2016, p. 21. The Big Green Machine. Bill O’Leary. February 2016, p. 14. Recondition it. Bill O’Leary. February 2016, p. 36. Innovation roundup. Elizabeth Van Ness & Joseph Hoff. March 2016, p. 13. Beam me up. Bill O’Leary. November 2016, p. 12. Visions of shop equipment. Kevin Jones. December 2016, p. 12 Holiday product showcase. The Electrical Apparatus staff. December 2016, p. 31. Solving the rotor bar dilemma. Richard L. Nailen. January 2017, p. 25.
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Index of Articles 2016-2020
Innovative motor designs
Product showcase Trends in pump design The various motor sizes Secure virtual meetings Financial reporting
INDEX continued
Roy’s Electrical Service, Cheswold, Del. Inspired leadership. Joseph S. Hoff. June 2016, p. 27. Scotty’s Electric Motor Repair, Orland, Calif. An instinct for success. Bill O’Leary. December 2018, p. 21. Servotech, Middletown, Conn. Big opportunities in small motors. Bill O’Leary. November 2016, p. 21. Shermco Industries, Irving, Tex. Growth through diversification. Joseph S. Hoff. December 2016, p. 17. Sloan Electromechanical Services & Sales, San Diego, Calif. Conserve, preserve, and serve. Bill O’Leary. February 2016, p. 19. Vaughn Electric Co., Union City, Tenn. Diverse interests. Kevin Jones. November 2017, p. 19. Whelco Industrial, Perrysburg, Ohio. Two of a kind. Bill O’Leary. May 2019, p. 27. York Repair, Bay City, Mich. One shop’s experience with variable-frequency drives. Bill O’Leary. September 2016, p. 24. IPS acquires Precision Electric Motor Works. Kevin Jones. April 2020, p. 10.
Solid-State Electronics (See Controls & Control systems)
Terminology How long is a long time? Richard L. Nailen. January 2016, p. 8. Be careful with size comparisons. Richard L. Nailen. April 2016, p. 14. Avoid the “sin of omission” Richard L. Nailen. July 2016, p. 38. The magic of one-third. Richard L. Nailen. January 2017, p. 39. Spell-checking isn’t always enough. Richard L. Nailen. April 2017, p. 40. Instruction manuals: a word to the unwise. Richard L. Nailen. July 2017, p. 23. Looking again at “motor design life.” Richard L. Nailen. July 2017, p. 40. Equipment and apparatus: What’s the difference? Richard L. Nailen. October 2017, p. 47. High Voltage? Not Necessarily. Richard L. Nailen. January 2018, p. 39. How not to “say it right.” Richard L. Nailen. April 2018, p. 46. A common language? Richard L. Nailen. October 2018, p. 40. Describing the indescribable. Richard L. Nailen. January 2019, p. 20. Does that product make the grade? Richard L. Nailen. April 2019, p. 40. Inflation isn’t just an economic concern. Richard L. Nailen. July 2019, p. 46.
Spelled right—but still wrong? Richard L. Nailen. December 2019, p. 18. The how and why of locked-rotor testing. Richard L. Nailen. February 2020, p. 29. Call it “engineerese.” Richard L. Nailen. June 2020, p. 18. How well do we understand ambient. Richard L. Nailen. June 2020, p. 41.
Testing & Measuring Is condition monitoring a cure-all? Richard L. Nailen. September 2018, p. 29. Pandemic provides a boost for remote condition monitoring. Kevin Jones. July 2020, p. 10.
Feature | More Than Accounting
Financial reporting in a pandemic — Freepik/Vecteezy images
Financial statements for 2020 pose new challenges. Considering the business effects of Covid-19, companies are having an unusual year. While some experience windfalls, others are troubled, particularly retailers and services dependent on public interaction. For them, just as cash flow slowed, financing tightened up. To maintain employment, the U.S. government effectively provided grants to troubled companies through its Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), initiated in March. Eligible businesses could obtain 2.5 months’ payroll to spend on payroll, utilities, and rent or mortgage interest within 8 to 24 weeks of receipt. Following that, borrowers can apply to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to have the loans forgiven. Not surprisingly, the presentation of financial results this year will depart from the past. Because PPP is unique, the accounting is unfamiliar, particularly the grant aspect. Under this mindset, companies may record PPP in different ways, often incorrectly. Aside from PPP, concerns arise regarding asset values and disclosure of business uncertainties. To avoid being blindsided, management should know the accounting applicable to the pandemic to implement it properly. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), which are the published standards, provide the framework for proper financial statement presentation. The rules include PPP accounting, going concern documentation, and asset valuation.
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This article intends to give everyone adequate time to understand the impact and consult with a qualified advisor relative to specific circumstances.
Account for PPP Accounting for PPP has been diverse. Some borrowers assume that PPP funds replace revenue lost in the pandemic and accordingly classify loan proceeds as revenue. However, recognizing PPP applies to payroll, rent, and other qualifying items, some other borrowers charge those expenses against the loan balance rather than write them off on the income statement. Still others keep the funds and the liability off their books entirely, potentially calling into question their need for PPP funds. On the other hand, GAAP requires borrowers wait for final SBA approval. Under the preferred treatment, the loan becomes income only when and to the extent forgiven. At that point, it is classified as a non-operating gain on debt extinguishment without offsetting the qualified spending. This conservative treatment is consistent with past practices. For example, GAAP recognizes business interruption insurance proceeds as income only after contingencies resolve. Non-operating income can occur in a period different from the loss. Moreover, classifying PPP as a loan until forgiven is consistent with the SBA rules for the disposition in business combinations. The PPP lender escrows sales proceeds until the SBA approves forgiveness. Please turn to next page
ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | DECEMBER 2020 35
34 ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | JANUARY 2021
The truth about arc-fault circuit interrupters By Richard L. Nailen, EA Engineering Editor
An electric—and eclectic—life. Bill O’Leary. May 2016, p. 25. Earth, Wind & Hire. Bill O’Leary. July 2016, p. 17. Strength in numbers. Bill O’Leary. July 2016, p. 28. Hey, who needs training? Bill O’Leary. July 2016, p. 34. Return to civilian life. Bill O’Leary. July 2017, p. 10. Union and corporate assistance for veterans. Selena Cotte. July 2017, p. 13. The good, the bad, and the ADDIE. Bill O’Leary. July 2017, p. 33. Inspiration abroad. Selena Cotte. October 2017, p. 46. More than motors: HVAC/R. The Electrical Apparatus staff. January 2018, p. 16. Training pain. Pam Demetrakakes. July 2018, p. 10. The state of the workforce. Selena Cotte. July 2018, p. 11. Winds of opportunity. Bill O’Leary. July 2018, p. 21. Taking learning to the plant floor. Selena Cotte. July 2018, p. 42. Shifting responsibilities. Bill O’Leary. September 2018, p. 38. Will electric motor workers be the auto mechanics of the future? David Miller. January 2019, p. 16. Education that provides a boost. Matt Raebel. January 2019, p. 21. “Get ’em while they’re young.”€ Selena Cotte, January 2019, p. 48. Pump firms lead in workforce development. Kevin Jones. January 2020, p. 44. How to get a start in the HVAC/R trade. Kevin Jones. March 2020, p. 13. HVAC/R heats up local economy. David Miller. March 2020, p. 25. More ways than ever to “earn while you learn.” Kevin Jones. April 2020, p. 12. Organizations offer free online training. Kevin Jones. May 2020, p. 48.
By William H. Wiersema, CPA, EA Contributing Editor
Feature | Circuits & Circuitry
The decision to use a simple electrical safety device turns out to be far more complicated than it first appears
Training
How to account for unusual events such as the disbursement of Paycheck Protection Program funds
The spike in distance learning is more than just a temporary anomaly. Kevin Jones. June 2020, p. 22. Still too soon to assume training events are in-person. Kevin Jones. August 2020, p. 23. University incubators at center of food development. Kevin Jones. October 2020, p. 14. Assessing the talent of technicians. Charlie Barks. November 2020, p. 19. Fast-track electrician training is gaining favor. Kevin Jones. November 2020, p. 46.
The premise is simple: Electrical fires kill people; arc-fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) prevent electrical fires; therefore AFCIs save lives. To tell the whole truth, however, we must add one word in several places: some AFCIs prevent some electrical fires and therefore save some lives. Any safety measure comes at a cost, and its cost-effectiveness must be justified. If it’s your life or that of a loved one, you may say that the sometimes-substantial cost of AFCI protection is well worth it. But, just as with protection against any other hazard, the choice is not so simple. Speed limit enforcement, better road conditions, automatic vehicle braking systems – you name it; all such improvements theoretically reduce highway traffic deaths. But no matter how much money is spent on such things, the only way to provide perfect motorist safety is to keep the car in the garage. Several kinds of electrical arcing fault are possible. All are capable of causing a fire. No statistics exist as to their relative importance. One is an unwanted current path between conductors representing two sides of a circuit. Those involved in preparation of the National Electrical Code refer to this as a parallel arc fault, whereas most of us consider it a short circuit, which may involve no arc at all. The voltage involved will be whatever is present across that circuit – 120, 480, 4,160, etc. The possible arc current will be whatever that voltage can drive through the combined impedance of the arc plus all the circuit elements in the conducting path. A second possible arcing fault is between one conductor and some earth (ground) or neutral surface. The nature of that fault path again determines the relationship between voltage and current. An arc may or may not occur. Third is the series arc involving a break in a single current-carrying conductor. Impedance of the arc will add to that in the rest of the circuit to limit arc current, which cannot exceed whatever current was flowing in the conductor before the break occurred.
The physics of arcing Only one of these three conditions necessarily involves formation of an arc. A decades-long debate about how to detect presence of such an arc, and how to provide suitable circuit protection, continues today within the NEC code-making panels and throughout the electrical industry. ELECTRICAL APPARATUS / MAY 2020
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Arcing may have occurred here – but was it cause, or consequence? — Electrical Apparatus file photo
Finally, an overloaded conductor may overheat without the occurrence of any break or arc. More often, a joint between two conductors may develop a high enough resistance to reach a dangerously high temperature. This is the “glowing connection” phenomenon. Little was known about such behavior until both the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development and the Consumer Product Safety Commission initiated studies by the National Bureau of Standards. The NBS issued its report in October 1977, titled “Exploratory Study of Glowing Electrical Connections.” Their tests showed that such terminal connections could reach temperatures of 450°F to 750°F. The NBS conclusions: Such glowing “may exist for protracted periods of time (hours, days, months) without breaking the electrical circuit” and that the condition “will not blow fuses, trip circuit breakers,” or cause GFCI operation (it was too early to deal with the AFCI). This phenomenon can not only heat a termination or splice to incandescence without any interruption of normal current flow; it can seldom be detected after the fact, and it is independent of the functioning of any appliance (except one seriously overloaded). Any kind of arc is a bridge of Please turn to next page 31
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Utilities (See also Service & Sales Companies) The language of the Smart Grid. Richard L. Nailen. February 2016, p. 40. Can everything be “smart”? Richard L. Nailen. August 2016, p. 43. Are we ready for “microgrids”? Richard L. Nailen. November 2016, p. 40. A Smart Grid user’s manual? Richard L. Nailen. February 2017, p. 18. Smart Grid, dumb standards? Richard L. Nailen, March 2017, p. 15. Is there a blackout in your future? Richard L. Nailen. August 2017, p. 35. Smart meters: the larger conspiracy. Richard L. Nailen. August 2017, p. 62. Electric utilities face uncertain future. Richard L. Nailen. September 2017, p. 27. The “newest new thing”: intra-grid sensors. Richard L. Nailen. November 2017, p. 46. Smart Grid concepts not always clear. Richard L. Nailen. February 2018, p. 18. “Let’s talk about it” Richard L. Nailen. May 2018, p. 56. Are smart meters still an issue? Richard L. Nailen. August 2018, p. 46. Smart meters aren’t the only concern. Richard L. Nailen. December 2018, p. 43. Peas in a pod? Richard L. Nailen. March 2019, p. 48. Safety in numbers? Richard L. Nailen. June 2019, p. 24. India’s Smart Grid mission. Charlie Barks. October 2019, p. 12. How affordable is the “smart” home? Richard L. Nailen. January 2020, p. 20. Utilities help customers improve HVAC/R efficiency. Kevin Jones. March 2020, p. 6. A game with many players. Richard L. Nailen. April 2020, p. 44. Disconnects suspended; charitable giving increases. Kevin Jones. May 2020, p. 20. Moving forward with green energy projects. Kevin Jones. June 2020, p. 51.
New life for an ancient power source. Kevin Jones. August 2020, p. 50.
Variable-Frequency Drives (See Drives & Inverters)
Water/Wastewater Treatment Water, water everywhere. Charlie Barks. August 2016, p. 14. Fluid agenda. Charlie Barks. August 2017, p. 12. Water conference to splash back into Chicago. Selena Cotte. August 2017, p. 14. A glimpse of the future of water. Bill O’Leary. November 2017, p. 34. Hydrate, regenerate, educate. Matt Raebel. August 2018, p. 20. Wastewater 101: The basics. The Electrical Apparatus staff. August 2018, p. 42. Water’s ebb and flow. David Miller. November 2018, p. 12. Weftec 2018. Elizabeth Van Ness. November 2018, p. 20. Where the water pros meet. Charlie Barks. August 2019, p. 12. A glossary of water-quality terms. Charlie Barks. August 2019, p. 16. In search of pure water. Bill O’Leary. August 2019, p. 48. What’s new in water sanitation. Kevin Jones. August 2020, p. 29. Great news: Beer is sustainable. David Miller. October 2020, p. 10.
Workforce Will electric motor workers be the auto mechanics of the future? David Miller. January 2019, p. 16. A BARKS PUBLICATION
OCTOBER 2020 / $5
Electrical Apparatus More than Motors
From farm to factory:
How motors bring food to the table
Machines that print food? Stimulus spending for EVs Harmonization of efficiency A motor’s service factor Uncertainty about revenue 10cov01.indd 1
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Education that provides a boost. Matt Raebel. January 2019, p. 21. Planning for retirement. William H. Wiersema. January 2019, p. 37. Perking up the work force. Bill O’Leary. January 2019, p. 45. “Get ’em while they’re young.” Selena Cotte. January 2009, p. 48. EA
Back issues, or photocopies of articles when back issues are out of stock, are available from: Circulation Department Barks Publications, Inc., 17 N. State St., Suite 1650, Chicago, Ill. 60602 (312) 321-9440 Fax (866) 228-7274 www.barks.com See page 4 for prices
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Feature | More Than Accounting
Success in the Year of Covid-19 Flexibility and planning are key to surviving in tough times and flourishing in good By William H. Wiersema, CPA, EA Contributing Editor “The best way to predict your future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker, authority on management The prolonged coronavirus has decimated the U.S. economy, taking a tremendous financial toll. Today, conditions change rapidly, creating much anxiety, and providing no easy answers. Many businesses are closed permanently. However, others have reinvented themselves to survive, even thrive. Pandemic trends differ markedly by sector. Those less impacted include essential or acyclical industries, such as food and healthcare, and
A strategy for the electromechanical service shop
The pandemic’s effects on service shops vary, reflecting local market conditions and concentrations with particular customers and industries. Essential sectors, such as food, continue to need services. In others, aftermarket demand follows a slowdown in manufacturing. As less new machinery enters service, existing equipment ages. More repairs become necessary, giving those businesses that provide them a builtin hedge. Imparting value is a proven strategy, in bad times as well as good. Electromechanical service shops differ in special capabilities, which distinguish them from others and may justify premium pricing. Shops typically do well by providing quality, prompt turnaround, customer service, service variety, or advanced technology, including remote troubleshooting or other online services. Viable niches include a product or industry specialty, geographic coverage, distribution, contracting, maintenance management, emergency on-site service, and consulting. Shops can also follow trends in machine tool usage-based arrangements. Supplanting customers’ internal maintenance with work done as a manufacturers’ authorized supplier enlarges the potential market. Smaller companies can beat bigger ones at service. For example, one transformer manufacturer dropped its largest customer to bring in short lead-time, small-order business. The large customer had put the company under constant pressure to reduce its prices, leading to the manufacturer’s change in strategy. Comparable premium services for service shops include providing emergency repairs and preventive maintenance at customer sites. No-frills options can continue for customers who prefer them. Managers must understand costs to plan the best strategy. This is easier said than done. Because overhead costs incurred per order varies with size and complexity, applying them as a percentage of direct labor distorts profitability. Activity-based costing is a preferred method for relating costs to what causes them. Shops that over-specialize in markets, such as automotive or energy, are more susceptible and likely to be troubled currently than those that do not. When manufacturing activity is down, falling equipment utilization decreases the need for repair services. Economic adversity brings to light operating problems hidden in good times. Management must watch the realization rate per service hour, the average lines and dollars per order, the level of rework and nonchargeable time, and the rate of discounts allowed. — WW
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counter-cyclical ones, such as discounted or used products and repair services. On the other hand, nonessential and other cyclical industries, such as entertainment and capital goods, have struggled or even stalled, relying on spending power. Across sectors, companies that sourced overseas faced shortages. Incoming raw materials were delayed or not delivered at all. Those without backup supply chains scrambled to build them. Even as some managers felt overwhelmed with uncertainty and confusion, others prepared for reopening. Successful ones supported urgent needs for liquidity, flexibility, and diversification with a long-term vision, recognizing setbacks as temporary. This article presents how we can remove the mystery, make sense of, and learn from the past nine months. In hindsight, we can see who did the right things and what they did. The lessons will help us in the next unexpected but nonetheless inevitable crisis. They can also get us through ongoing challenges related to the current one.
Think long-term The best performers focused on the long-term, recognizing the pandemic as short-term. Management forever encounters challenges, which leadership can overcome. With the right mindset, problems become opportunities. The best strategy matches offerings to current customer needs. By understanding profits, management can pursue the right niches, rather than lower selling prices to build volume or arbitrarily cut costs to reduce losses. Planning include defining the mission, analyzing operations, and setting goals based on competitive advantages. A mission statement expresses the company’s direction, intent, and philosophy, considering the environment, owners, employees, customers, and suppliers. Having a cohesive strategy conquers inertia, even despair. With foresight, managers can redeploy resources to the most promising areas. Even those without apparent opportunities can prepare for the recovery. Improved products, processes, and services can propel the company when it reopens. For example, even more than typical restaurants, buffets had to reinvent themselves during the pandemic. Pizza Inn, a pizza-style buffet chain headquartered in The Colony, Tex., retained sales nationally by introducing a buffet-togo option in April, according to www.restaurant businessonline.com. The pandemic also favored online services, digitiPlease turn to next page ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | JANUARY 2021 35
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SUCCESS IN THE YEAR OF COVID-19 continued
zation, and technology. It’s as if a time machine carried the world forward 10 years at warp speed. The success of top technology companies is not surprising. These include Jim Cramer’s FAANG companies – Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google (now Alphabet). Going online does not require 100% retooling, but should be planned, such as partnering with an online specialist. That way, a company can become a one-stop-shop for a targeted market segment. Metal service centers, for example, evolved from being distributors to offering value-added services such as slitting and sheeting. Along similar lines, many electrical service shops took on new motor distribution in addition to traditional repair work. In recent memory, many U.S. manufacturers faced newly intensified price competition from overseas. Some shut down, while others adapted to the new circumstances. For many smaller companies, niche specialties could be pursued profitably, such as low-volume, custom, special services, or quick turnaround, for which customers pay a premium. Others divested themselves of manufacturing operations and became distributors. This enabled them to continue to benefit from the design expertise, access to distribution channels, customer relationships, and market recognition that they had attained over the years in business.
electrical-appratus_9x_Layout 1 8/14/2019 11:29 AM Page 1
Pursue efficiencies In place of cuts, some businesses found opportunities in a
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In place of cuts, some businesses found opportunities in a down market; stocking up on low-cost raw materials is one example down market. Stocking up on low-cost raw materials is one example. Companies did not cut their core workers but instead retained or even took on talent. Similarly, managers had to keep control and so not neglect accounting and recordkeeping. Without tracking, managers would not know business assets or meet their reporting obligations. Successful companies got better, even as they faced pandemic-related cost inflation. Constraints on capacity and movement affected facilities. Cleaning, personal protective equipment, and temperature checks impaired productivity. Businesses relying on space utilization for profitability found themselves hard-pressed. Automating operations makes distancing and sanitizing less relevant. Once set up, many types of machines operate by themselves, even for an entire shift. Upgrades are possible for finished part ejection, tool change, robotics, or coordination of such operations as inspection and material handling. While economics drives automation, improving safety may shift the cost-benefit curve. Most companies relocated office staff during the shutdown. Working from home online has become the whitecollar standard, replacing commuting and business travel. Many companies have operated effectively and already declared returning to workplaces is optional. Acquiring troubled competitors is potentially a lower cost way of entering or expanding into other niches, which those businesses may have already developed. With their infrastructure, buyers benefit from more sales while absorbing only incremental direct costs. The need for synergies minimizes competition from buyers outside of the industry. The buyer must critically assess the seller. Financial, operational, and legal due diligence each has a substantial role in transactions. Financial focuses on numeric representations, such as historical and projected financial performance. Operational is concerned with business systems and processes, often identifying potential synergies that the buyer will bring. Legal emphasizes such areas as legal title, liens, and environmental issues. There are dangers, however. The owner of one small, troubled manufacturer was willing to sell the business for a $10,000-per-month lease of the facility and equipment that the seller owned, with nothing additional for customer list or goodwill. The seller also offered the buyer an option to purchase the property at market value at any time. The buyer, a company already in the industry but without the seller’s product line, could not refuse those terms. Unfortunately, the cost structure was such that the business could not reach breakeven. Ultimately, the buyer sold the leased facility to get out from under the obligation and absorbed
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the remaining company into another entity, at a substantial monetary loss.
Plan for liquidity Companies with liquidity could afford to move to the top of their industries; conversely, those facing declining collections had to plan carefully to get through. With the pandemic, working capital presents new challenges to forecast. Financial projections use what’s controllable to minimize the impact of what isn’t. The starting point should be to understand the existing backlog, budgeted inflows and outflows, and the timing of balance sheet realization in cash. The conversion cycle measures days’ inventory paid for plus collections tied up in receivables. Management projects the best, worst, and most likely cases, from which to determine the next steps. Often, obligations may need to be renegotiated or additional financing obtained. Managers must redeploy and adjust resources with surgical precision. Overdoing cuts risks the company’s future. To keep people employed, the government has expanded lending to small businesses. Without it, companies might incur temporary layoffs, only to hire and retrain later. Many businesses resisted government aid, considering themselves as not needing it. In retrospect, the incentives provided a lifeline for many companies to get them through the shutdown.
The worst-hit businesses now hope to receive additional assistance. Programs change, making it critical to stay current. Under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) overseen by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), borrowers may have their loans forgiven, in effect becoming grants. The alternative Covid-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) streamlines applications direct to the SBA. Further, payroll tax deferral and Employee Retention Credits are available to EIDL borrowers. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act also lifted income tax restrictions on losses, interest expense, and depreciation of real estate improvements to spur business activity. It alleviated many deduction limits. Regular C corporations can carry back losses up to five years starting from the year 2018. Significant wealth can start in the worst of times. During the Great Depression, companies founded included Publix Super Markets, E&J Gallo Wineries, (Howard) Hughes Aircraft Co., J. Paul Getty’s oil companies, and the forerunner of Little Debbie Cream Pies. Businesses can emerge from a downturn even stronger. Make your business the next success! EA
Companies with liquidity could afford to move to the top of their industries; conversely, those facing declining collections had to plan carefully to get through
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Feature | Pump It Up
Intelligent pumps: What’s new in 2021
The latest in digital pump monitoring and control is poised to lift intelligent pumping to the next level By Kevin Jones, EA Senior Editor
Xylem’s BLU-X wastewater optimization system incorporates the latest in pump system monitoring, reporting, data analysis, and control. — Xylem photo
It seems like only yesterday — actually it was March 2019 — that EA looked at the several ways in which the Industrial Internet of Things is pushing pumps beyond mere intelligence. Intelligent pumps, as we noted back then, are pumps that automatically regulate and control fluids in response to changing operating conditions. Pumps of this type have been in wide use for more than a decade. But with the expanding use of the Industrial Internet of Things, pumps have become capable not only of remote monitoring but also of employing predictive maintenance, digital twin technology, artificial intelligence, and virtual and augmented reality — all with the goal of making pumping systems more efficient and economical. With the new year underway, now seems a good time to size up the tools and propriety platforms for intelligent pump control being offered by some of the major pump suppliers. If there’s a common thread tying them all together, it’s that proprietary devices and software are pushing affordability, effectiveness, and efficiency to new levels. Consider Xylem. What the company calls “decision intelligence” is said to help water utility managers ensure compliance and performance, improve cash flow, and make systems more resilient. The company produces several applications to achieve these goals. Among them is LeakView, which performs real-time leak protection on high-risk assets. Simply stated, LeakView detects leaks so utilities can take action before the problems become worse. Should a burst occur, LeakView issues an alert so utilities can take immediate action and avoid serious service disruptions.
Xylem’s BLU-X treatment plant optimization is designed to help water treatment plants improve efficiencies. It integrates with an existing SCADA system to create a real-time digital “twin” that simulates biological and chemical processes. Insights gathered from this modeling enable users to optimize their infrastructure. The Hidden Revenue Locator from Xylem enables water utility managers to gather and analyze data about meters so managers can make decisions based on an individual meter’s actual performance, not simply its age. Predicted revenue losses can be monitored for each meter, and unnecessary meter testing and replacements can be avoided. Seeking to respond to the needs of all industries, Schneider Electric is marketing a line of hardware and software products it calls EcoStruxure Machine. The family of products is designed to improve the efficiency and safety of motors, drives, and pumps and pumping systems. The company’s apps, analytics, and services include what it calls Augmented Operator Advisor, Machine Advisor, and Secure Connect Advisor. Together, these three services enable the user to view a process using augmented reality, monitor machines from anywhere in the world via the Cloud, and diagnose and troubleshoot machines remotely. For pump system operators, Schneider Electric has an application software library for booster stations. The library includes tools for switching between pumps while maintaining constant pressure,
A Weir Warman pump set up to operate on the Synertrex digital platform. — Weir photo
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controlling an auxiliary pump to maintain water pressure during sleep mode, monitoring and protecting against cavitation, and controlling linear pressure. Sulzer’s approach to digital integration and control starts with a condition monitor, called Sense, that measures a pump’s temperature and vibration in three axes, gathering data that can be viewed on a laptop, tablet, or smartphone. The monitor is said to be suitable for all pumps, agitators, mixers, and motors, regardless of the type or brand. Data is only as good as the way it’s evaluated and used, so Sulzer offers what it calls Blue Box software that crunches the data for predictive maintenance and “insights into anomalous behavior” of pumps. Equipped with this information, users can take preemptive action before a failure occurs or take corrective action after. Blue Box works by transferring information from the data collection system to Sulzer’s secure Cloud location, which is hosted by Microsoft Azure, and then presenting the data to the user with “analytical insights” highlighted. Some digital platforms are designed for particular industries. Among them is the Synertrex platform from Weir, a set of digital tools intended
to complement Weir’s existing portfolio of mining equipment. Machines that can be monitored with Synertrex include not only pumps but also hydrocyclones, screens, crushers, and high-pressure grinding rolls. Synertrex is designed to work in close cooperation with its manufacturer. Representatives from Weir travel to the customer’s site to install the sensors, connect them to the Cloud, and train the customer’s staff to use the platform. Weir’s technicians can then analyze the data from afar, providing “unique insights on performance that only the OEM can deliver.” An extensive service network can offer quick response and on-site support for customers. It’s close cooperation like this, with manufacturers working closely with pump users to implement increasingly sophisticated monitoring and control systems, that appears likely to lift pump application to the next level of sophistication. EA
Feature | Electric Avenue
The trans-Pacific EV competition is heating up Three Chinese manufacturers of electric vehicles recently reported a surge in product deliveries, but will the surge be felt outside of China? By Kevin Jones, EA Senior Editor A triumvirate of Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers made a splash this past November when they reported October delivery figures that surprised analysts to the upside and caused some to wonder if the balance of power in the electric vehicle market is shifting from this side of the Pacific to the other. The three up-and-coming Chinese EV manufacturers that caught the industry’s attention with stellar reports were Li Auto, Nio, and Xpeng, all of which reported October deliveries that were at least twice what the companies had reported for the same period the year before. Nio, headquartered in Shanghai, reported that it had delivered 5,055 vehicles in October, an increase of 100.1% year-over-year. Xpeng delivered a total of 3,040 Smart EVs during the same month, a 229% increase. And Li Auto delivered 3,692 Li ONEs, representing what the company called “a steady increase” over September deliveries, although year-over-year monthly comparisons were unavailable. Please turn to next page
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The NIO ES6, an all-electric midsized sport utility vehicle produced by Chinese EV manufacturer NIO. It’s is the second SUV from NIO, put into production in 2019 for the Chinese market. — Wikimedia Commons photo ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | JANUARY 2021 39
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ELECTRIC AVENUE continued from previous page
In spite of these impressive numbers, the undisputed king of the electric vehicle market in the U.S. is still Tesla, followed by Chevy, Nissan, Audi, and Porsche. Tesla sold an estimated 71,000 electric vehicles in the U.S. during 2020, for an average of 5,916 per month, according to EV news website CleanTechnica. And that was just the domestic market. For U.S. 2020 EV sales, the Chevy Bolt ran a distant second behind Tesla, coming in at 8,370 sold. The Nissan LEAF and Audi e-tron each sold around 3,000, while about 1,000 Porsche Taycan’s were driven away by new owners.
Differing rates of sales increases When comparing U.S. and Chinese EV manufacturers, things become more interesting when you look at rates of delivery increases or decreases. As noted, the three Chinese players that caught the industry’s attention during the fall have seen rapid acceleration in product deliveries. In the U.S., meanwhile, the top EV manufacturers have seen sales plateau or even decline. Writing in Forbes magazine, business and technology reporter Niall McCarthy reported that sales figures for Tesla’s top-selling model, the Model 3, at 38,314 for the first half of 2020, were “considerably lower compared to the first half of 2019, when they were in the region of 69,000.” Many Tesla buyers appear to be opting instead for the less expensive Model Y, a compact crossover. Meanwhile, “the Nissan LEAF
saw its sales pretty much halved, just two units off a precise 50% drop,” McCarthy wrote. The take of another Forbes reporter, Trefis Team, was that “the Chinese electrical space is booming, with China-based manufacturers accounting for over 50% of global EV deliveries.” [Note the reference to China-based manufacturers, an important distinction we’ll get to in a moment.] Much of this growth appears to be driven by the Chinese government’s demand that about 25% of all new cars sold in China be electric by 2025, a significant increase over today’s proportion of about 5%. The stock of all three of the surging Chinese EV manufacturers trades in U.S. equity markets, and if their price and volume action immediately following the release of the November performance reports is any indication, then the surge in deliveries of Chinese EVs caught investors by surprise. On Dec. 2, all three reported sales figures for November that were as impressive as October’s. Li Auto reported November deliveries that were up 25.8% over October’s, while Nio and Xpeng reported deliveries that were up 109% and 342%, respectively, over November 2019, according to Investor’s Business Daily. That day saw Nio’s stock rise 5.78% and Xpeng’s 6.95%, although Li Auto’s stock was down marginally. Following these releases, investment bank Goldman Sachs upgraded the stock of all three companies and predicted that electric vehicle penetration in China would reach 20% by 2025, somewhat shy of the 25% the Chinese government is aiming for but still well above today’s 5%.
Western manufacturers in China
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But if the manufacture of electric vehicles in China is booming and on a rapid upward trajectory, an increasing number of those autos are being built by western manufacturers, and the flow of western-made EVs to China appears likely to continue exceeding the flow of homegrown Chinese EVs to the West for the foreseeable future. Western EV makers with significant manufacturing operations in China include Tesla and BMW, the latter operating its largest production base worldwide at plants in northeastern China, according to Nikkei Asia. Beginning this year, BMW plans to export its China-produced iX3 electric SUV to Europe. Tesla began shipping units of its Model 3S from a factory in Shanghai to Europe in October. In the short term, homegrown Chinese electric vehicles appear unlikely to find much of an export market in the West, particularly in the U.S. The domestic sales of electric vehicles in China rely heavily on government subsidies, which cover about a third of an EV’s sticker price there. This gives Chinese manufacturers a powerful incentive to design their autos for the domestic market, where cars that are “small, cheap, and slow” are preferred, according to Barron’s. “We call them low-speed EVs, where the maximum speed of the vehicle is no greater than 50 mph,” the magazine quoted Ji Shi, director of automobile equity research at Haitong International Securities, as saying. “My concern is, I’m not sure the United States has the same demand.” EA
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Feature | Plant Life
On-the-job monitoring: are there no limits?
As R&D advances, data collection is more personal than ever By Elizabeth Van Ness, EA Publisher Plant managers, when you hear the words “predictive maintenance,” you probably envision the machinery you’re monitoring. But are you also using predictive technology on some of your most valuable assets, the human beings on the factory floor? Accessible, ubiquitous, and increasingly personal data is becoming a go-to for HR decisions. Even before interviews are granted. the information from online job applications is crosschecked with credit bureaus, educational institutions, and police records. Once hired, employees may be asked to share bodily fluids, biometric data, and their social media passwords, with the results used for any number of predictive purposes. Will this person be a reliable employee? Not if she failed a drug test. Will that guy be easy to work with? Perhaps not, given his Facebook rants.
It’s everywhere Once the person has the job, the collection continues. Time spent on the job, including late arrivals and sick days, may be permanently recorded. Work performance may be monitored via surveillance cameras. The drug testing may be ongoing, with periodic or surprise checks. And some employees may even be required to provide evidence of their fitness 24/7, via wearable technology. At the University of California San Diego’s Jacob School of Engineering, researchers have developed forensic gloves, rings, and sweat and saliva sensors that can send realtime evidence of cocaine or alcohol use directly to the smartphones of supervisors or the HR department. An Italian research team recently developed wearable fabric that can measure “signs of fatigue,” as evidenced by heart rate, breathing rate, sweating,
In many workplaces, routine surveillance may not always be obvious. — Photo by Petter Lagson on Unsplash
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Flexible wearable sensors can continuously transmit blood alcohol data to any laptop, smartphone or bluetooth device —Jacobs School of Engineering/UC San Diego photo
and muscle contraction — giving the data analysts a heads up that “Tom in section G4 is close to breaking down.” Use that fabric for your uniforms, and you have quite the predictive maintenance operation. When test equipment lets us know a machine is failing, it’s a winwin: better for the manager, and better for the equipment. The earlier we see a potential problem, the easier and more efficient the solution. The value of predicting human failing, though, may be less clear-cut. Managers must balance the opportunity for efficiency with the possibility of adverse effects: inaccurate conclusions, emotional distress, privacy violations, or even lawsuits. In fact, many governments and companies have laws and policies to curb abuse, or to permit employees or unions to opt out of equipment and surveillance they deem invasive.
Best practices Before you dress your team in sensors, take some practical steps: • Break no rules: Familiarize yourself with federal, state, local and company requirements; Follow guidelines for required signage, notices and reports. • Stay sensitive: Keep communication lines open; Carefully consider complaints, objections and opt-out requests; Be alert to signs of resentment, negative reactions and rumors. • Act responsibly and thoughtfully: Use data only for its stated purposes; Do not discuss employees’ personal information with anyone other than your supervisors; Review emails and reports to ensure that you don’t inadvertently compromise anyone’s privacy. Technology is here to stay - and so are people. Treat both well, and good things will follow. EA ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | JANUARY 2021 41
12/21/2020 5:27:29 AM
Utilities Target for ‘decarbonization’ isn’t soon enough for some The timetable by which U.S. electric utilities are expected to achieve “zero-carbon” output is about to become much shorter, and some state governments have indicated that they aren’t going to go along with the plan without a fight. As reported by numerous news organizations this past fall, the incoming Biden administration has promised to achieve a “zero-carbon” power sector by 2035, with the ultimate goal of “net-zero emissions” by 2050. (As so many others do in discussions about power generation, the Administration speaks of carbon and carbon dioxide as if the two are synonymous. They’re not.) Meanwhile, many U.S. electric utilities and the primary organization that speaks for them are saying that the 2035 deadline is unrealistic and that an attempt to meet it would be accompanied by significant sacrifices in quality of service. The Energy and Policy Institute of San Francisco, which calls itself a “watchdog organization working to expose attacks on renewable energy and counter misinformation by fossil fuel and utility interests,” is among the more strident voices demanding that utilities be pressed to act more quickly than the utilities say they’re prepared to do. “Most of the country’s largest investor-owned utilities are on trajectories to phase out their use of coal and gas far too slowly to meet that 2035 target,” the Institute says, accusing utilities and their trade associations of conspiring to promote “denial and disinformation campaigns.” Standing opposed to the Energy and Policy Institute on the issue is the Edison Electric Institute of Washington, which recognizes that radical goals rarely can be pursued without undesirable consequences. “We are united in our commitment to get the energy we provide as clean as we can, as fast as we can, while keeping customer reliability front and center as always,” reads the Edison Electric Institute’s statement on the issue. “EEI’s member companies are on a path to reduce carbon emissions at least 80% by 2050, compared with peak levels in 2005.” In the view of the Edison Electric Institute, the U.S. electric utility industry has been making a good-faith effort to clean up its act. Nearly 40% of all U.S. power generation comes today from carbon-free sources, and as of the end of 2019, the Institute’s member companies had reduced CO2 emissions 45% below 2005 levels. Electric companies are investing more than $110 billion per year to improve the grid, diversify the “energy mix,” and integrate new technologies “that benefit customers.” But according to the Energy and Policy Institute, these efforts aren’t good enough. In spite of the industry’s long-term goals, “the actual trajectories at which the utilities are promising to decarbonize . . . vary considerably,” says the Institute, which also accuses the utility industry of “relying on carbon offsets and accounting tricks and loopholes” to misdirect the public. A less combative tone was struck by Scientific American, which reproduced an article by Benjamin Storrow
of E&E News that acknowledges that some sort of compromise will be necessary. “Achieving a successful climate policy may depend on both sides coming to a resolution,” Storrow wrote, giving credit to utilities, which “have almost single-handedly driven down carbon dioxide emissions across the U.S. economy in recent years.” According to Morning Consult, a data intelligence and analysis firm, only one major utility, Northern Indiana Public Service Co., is on track to meet the Biden administration’s goal of “carbon-free” power by 2035. Northern Indiana, according to Morning Consult, “is the country’s only large investor-owned utility that is decarbonizing at a rate that would be sufficient, having set its own target of a 90% emissions reduction by 2028 from a 2005 baseline.” Several other utilities, including Xcel Energy, WEC Energy Group, and Consumers Energy, are “within the ballpark” of hitting the 2030 target, but others, among them Duke Energy and Southern Co., are lagging, having stuck with 2050 as their target. At the state level, the controversy is breaking down along familiar political fault lines. Mississippi, North Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Arkansas — all states governed by Republican majorities — have indicated that they will challenge efforts to impose the stricter deadline, Reuters reported last month. Utah and Missouri are taking a wait-and-see attitude. Some are saying that the utility industry is moving in the right direction even without federal mandates. “Our power companies have voluntarily embraced sources of alternative energy without heavy-handed regulation from government,” Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said in a statement quoted by Reuters. “Which indicates to me that they are following the markets. We prefer a marketdriven response to government mandates.” — Kevin Jones EA
— Photo by Alexander Khodarev / picspress
Many U.S. electric utilities and the primary organization that speaks for them are saying that the 2035 deadline is unrealistic
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Help Wanted
Help Wanted
SALES REP – NORTHEASTERN US TERRITORY Megger Baker Instruments is looking for a sales rep for our Northeastern US territory.
WELL ESTABLISHED SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA MOTOR REPAIR COMPANY Is looking for a outside sales person with leadership qualities. Working knowledge in the industry required. Ability to be a sales team leader, work independently and focus on customer needs. • Base salary with commission negotiable based on experience • Benefits include 401K, vehicle allowance, medical and dental with potential for corporate ownership Send resume to: Shopemployment@ littlejohn-reuland.com
Ideal candidate would live in the territory, open to a direct hire or manufacturer’s rep. Manage sales activity in territory, demonstrate equipment at customers’ sites, attend trade shows, point of contact for customers. Bachelor’s in engineering or equivalent experience required. Minimum 5 years technical sales experience, public speaking experience preferred. Base salary plus commission, medical/ dental/vision/401k, excellent benefits. Email resume to karen.edwards@megger. com To place a classified ad, contact the Advertising Department, EAMagazine@barks.com. The closing date for the February issue is January 15th.
Classified Display VAUGHEN’S PRICE PUBLISHING CO., INC.
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All communication will be kept confidential. SHOP MANAGER Best Repair Company in Norfolk, VA is looking for an experienced candidate to fill the position of Shop Manager. The candidate must have 10 – 15 years of AC & DC motor, pump and generator repair work. Must have experience with both random & form coil winding and problem-solving skills. Strong Leadership and communication skills are required. BRC offers a competitive salary, health insurance & 401K plan. Interested parties should email their resume to gary.phelps@ bestrepair.net.
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1-800-828-4436 9400 McKnight Road, Suite 203 Pittsburgh, PA 15237 Email: sales@vaughens.com Web Address: vaughens.com
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Help Wanted
Help Wanted Winders, SCADA Techs & Switchgear Techs Longo Electrical-Mechanical, Inc., founded approximately 70 years ago, is the largest independent electrical-mechanical sales & service company in the tri-state NJ/NY area. As a sales and service company for motors, drives, pumps, and other electrical apparatus we are looking for skilled candidates who have experience with this equipment.
WHAT TO
EXPECT
®
WHEN YOU’ RE EXPECTING A TEENAGER
UPPER MIDWEST LEADING ELECTRICAL / INDUSTRIAL SALES AND SERVICE ORGANIZATION, recently converted to 100% employee owned, seeking candidates for: • Estimator • Electro-Mechanical Bench Technician • Manual Machinist • Motor Winder • Field service technician Growing company is looking for a team player that excels at electrical apparatus repair. $1K-3K hiring bonus based on experience; Minimum 5 years’ experience in electrical apparatus repair. Excellent pay and benefits for a hard working team member including health care, 401k savings, employee stock ownership plan, relocation, training & clothing allowances to keep your career advancing. Please send resume and salary history to: PDC Attn Human Resources, PO Box 537, Monroe, WI 53566. EEOC
Call Longo 973-537-0400 ext. 1718 or e-mail résumé in confidence to LSPAK@elongo. com. EOE/AA WINDER Qualified in AC/DC motors, formed & random wound. North End Electric services with 2 locations in Northeast PA. Excellent pay with retirement account with up to 3% company matching, health insurance, and paid vacations and holidays. We are willing to offer relocation assistance for a qualified individual. Call 570-342-6740 or Fax 570-344-1524. Email Cale.Hendricks@ northendelectric.com
COMPETITIVE PAY, BENEFITS & OT!! Prime Electric in Gorham, ME is looking for an experienced Sales Rep and Electric Motor Technicians. Relocation compensation, training program & advancement opportunities. Safe, friendly environment. Send resumes to dan@primeelectricmotor. com or call 207.591.7800. Visit us at PrimeElectric Motor.com.
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Want more EA? Check out the videos of the week from the weekly e-newsletter, Direct and Current, at www.barks.com.
LOOKING FOR PARTNER FOR FULLSERVICE SERVO MOTOR BUSINESS. No money down: we will finance with a 5-year buyout with SECURED COLLATERAL. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE COLLATERAL, DO NOT CALL. Established (1982), profitable, nation-wide customers. Our own alignment software and magnetizing capabilities. Need to move 6,000sq’ inventory (over 5,000 motors); need 2,500sq’ work area. Call 734.765.6604, leave message.
Love the Cy’s Super Service cartoon strip? Looking for a gift idea? Check out the new Cy comic book that features favorite Cy cartoons from the 70s through the present for only $5. www.barks books.com or 312-321-9440.
Solved the most recent puzzle? Check your answers at http://barks.com/puzzles or e-mail us at EAMagazine@barks.com to have the solution to last month’s puzzle sent to you.
To place a classified ad, contact the Advertising Department, EAMagazine@barks.com. The closing date for the February issue is January 15th.
Solved the most recent puzzle? Check your answers at http://barks.com/puzzles or e-mail us at EAMagazine@barks.com to have the solution to last month’s puzzle sent to you.
44 ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | JANUARY 2021
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Help Wanted
Business for Sale $3M TO $5M MOTOR SHOP FOR SALE Major southeast market. @28,000 sf. real estate lease or sale. Lifting capacity: 20 tons plus. Contact Pete Smith, 205-837-4845, petesmith@value-a-business.com. Financially qualified buyers only. Non-disclosure agreement required for further information.
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Elektrim Motors, an AC NEMA and metric IEC stock and custom motor manufacturer since 1919, is looking for confident, results-driven individuals to join our team. Electric Motor Service Technician & Schaumburg, IL Shop Manager. Ideal candidate will be experienced in troubleshooting, repair, rebuild of all types of AC motors. Strong communication skills required. Outside Sales / New Business Development Manager. Ideal candidates will be solutions-based OEM sales experts with a working knowledge of electric motors and their applications. Travel is required more than 50% of time.
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Share it in the Training and Education category in the classified section of Electrical Apparatus! Classified ads as low as $60 each month.
Elektrim Motors offer competitive pay and benefits including 401k. Send inquiries to careers@elektrimmotors.com. The Electrical Apparatus Show podcast is filled with interviews, fun, and the people behind the articles we write. Subscribe for FREE on iTunes, Stitcher, and all podcast platforms. To place a classified ad, contact the Advertising Department, EAMagazine@barks.com. The closing date for the February issue is January 15th.
The EA crossword
The challenge: to identify and fill in the grid, from the clues at right, with words related to the electromechanical service and sales industry. This month’s words are taken from the November and December issues of Electrical Apparatus. The solution may be found online at http://barks.com/puzzles, or call (312) 321-9440.
312-626-2316 Naomi@barks.com
Across
Down
1 Company that made the firstever oil-based coatings for electronic applications 4 Voltage category level between 1,000 and 100,000 9 Brazilian motor manufacturer 10 Duration in service 11 Thermionic tube having four electrodes 13 Measuring device in gradations 16 Succeed 17 Available to the public 18 Electrical ___ checking 21 Thomas Davenport and Thomas Edison, for example 22 Fluid in a pen 23 Mathematical groups 24 Point where multiple conductors or semiconductors make physical contact 29 Order of corn 30 Japanese electrical manufacturer 31 ____-metal thermal to electric converter 34 Electric guitar legend Paul 35 Switch for reversing current 36 Fluid, abbr.
1 Value of the impeller plus shaft and hydraulic weight 2 End of a tunnel, proverbially 3 Empty 5 Electric motor starter maker based in St Louis 6 Mirror 7 Mid-year month 8 Brilliantly clever, like many innovations 12 Go down 14 Signal 15 Vital 19 Metal used in some batteries 20 One-striper, abbr. 25 Second largest violin 26 Buyer 27 Certain investments: abbr. 28 Drop down on a computer 32 Opposite of d-c 33 Richmond’s state Puzzle by Myles Mellor
ELECTRICAL APPARATUS | JANUARY 2021 45
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Equipment for Sale HAVE A TRAINING EVENT OR WEBINAR COMING UP? Share it in the
Training & Education category in the classified section of Electrical Apparatus. Classified ads as low as $60 each month.
312-626-2316 • Naomi@barks.com
Help Wanted
MOTOR TEST PANELS Professionally built to your needs, using your parts or good used components. 50-2,000 hp, 120-4160v AC/DC, w/wo computer efficiency reports, 30 years experience. Info/ examples on Motorteststand.com NEW ELECTRIC BAKE OVEN FOR SALE Factory installation tech on site. Lead-Time 1-week or less. Inside dimensions: 73”x 71” x 71” For more info email: sales@baewire.com
The Electrical Apparatus Show podcast is filled with interviews, fun, and the people behind the articles we write. Subscribe for FREE on iTunes, Stitcher, and all podcast platforms. Love the Cy’s Super Service cartoon strip? Looking for a gift idea? Check out the new Cy comic book that features favorite Cy cartoons from the 70s through the present for only $5. www.barks books.com or 312-321-9440.
To place a classified ad, contact the Advertising Department, EAMagazine@barks.com. The closing date for the February issue is January 15th.
GROWING SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SHOP • Operations/Shop Manager • Medium Voltage Winder • Mechanic • Inside New Sales Hours are 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM. If you are looking for full time or part-time including Sat & Sun spots. Please contact us ACCOUNTING@EANDLELECTRIC.COM or call Mike Fitch @ 562-903-9272 for all details including salary and benefits. All communication will be kept confidential.
The ElectroMechanical Bench Reference, an annual supplement to Electrical Apparatus magazine, is now ONLINE! The buyer’s guide you use in your shop to find products, distributors, manufacturers, training organizations, and more is available at your fingertips. Visit www.embrbarks.com for your product and special services needs. Jacob Sanchez Diagnosed with autism
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January 2021 Classifieds.indd 4
Lack of eye contact is a sign of autism. Learn the others at autismspeaks.org/signs.
Solved the most recent puzzle? Check your answers at http://barks.com/puzzles or e-mail us at EAMagazine@barks.com to have the solution to last month’s puzzle sent to you.
Want more EA? Check out the videos of the week from the weekly e-newsletter, Direct and Current, at www.barks.com.
10/23/2018 8:26:23 AM
12/21/2020 12:35:15 PM
Help Wanted
Help Wanted
Electric Motor Shop in Wake Forest, NC, is looking for candidates for: • Field Service Techs • Manual Machinists • Motor Mechanics • Outside Sales Reps • Field Service Manager • Pump Mechanics • Switchgear Specialist • Winders Electric Motor Shop offers competitive pay and benefits, including 401k. For employment consideration, please contact Kathleen Plyler at 919-556-3229 or by email at kathleen.plyler@emsnc.com. GREAT PLAINS TECHNICAL SERVICES IN MANDAN, ND Is looking for experienced candidates for: • Manual Machinist • Motor Winder • Shop Foreman Great Plains Technical Services offers competitive pay, health insurance, 401k and other benefits. For more information contact Joseph Schumaker at Joe@gptsinc.com or (701)891-8480.
To place a classified ad, contact the Advertising Department, EAMagazine@barks.com. The closing date for the February issue is January 15th.
Classified Display MEMBER
REGISTERED TO ISO 9001:2008 FILE NUMBER 10005472 QM08
Classified Display
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Independent Supplier for the Motor Repair & Transformer Industry. New/Used Equipment Available! CMT is your EASA source for Magnet Repairs & Magnet Sales
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Help Wanted Electric Motor & Pump Repair Shop with 2 locations in Tampa & Ft. Myers, Fl. looking for experienced candidates for: • Pump & Motor Mechanics • Motor Winders • Manual Machinists • Field Service Technicians • Inside Pump Salesman • Outside Salesman Top pay to top candidates, experienced only. We offer relocating assistance, 401k, & insurance. Send résumé to box #2 as subject line to classifieds@barks.com
The ElectroMechanical Bench Reference, an annual supplement to Electrical Apparatus magazine, is now ONLINE! The buyer’s guide you use in your shop to find products, distributors, manufacturers, training organizations, and more is available at your fingertips. Visit www.embrbarks.com for your product and special services needs.
Love the Cy’s Super Service cartoon strip? Looking for a gift idea? Check out the new Cy comic book that features favorite Cy cartoons from the 70s through the present for only $5. www.barks books.com or 312-321-9440.
Classified Display
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ADVERTISING INDEX Advanced Rotors, Inc. . . . . . . 17 Aegis / Electro Static Technology . . . . . . . . 11 AKARD COMMUTATOR OF TENNESSEE . . . . . . . . .15 Bartlett Bearing Co., Inc. . . . .IBC City Machine Technologies . . 47 Electric Materials Co. . . . . . . .16 Electrical Apparatus & Machine Co. . . . . . . . . . 28 Helwig Carbon Products, Inc. . .13 ICC International . . . . . . . . IFC Hoto Instruments . . . . . . . . 47 Jasper Electric Motors, Inc. . . . 7 Lafert NA . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 MOD-TRONIC Instruments . . . 37 Morgan Advanced Materials . . 9 OTS Wire & Insulation . . . . . . 47 Ross Engineering Corporation 36 Superior Services LLC . . . . . .18 Toshiba International Corp. . . . 3 Vaughen’s Price Publishing . . 43 WEG Electric Corp. . . . . . . . BC Look for sponsored technical articles from EA advertisers at our blog, https://electricalapparatus. wordpress.com. Learn more about the products and services featured in this issue! Use the QR code or go to https://kwiksurveys.com/s/hrVJVGv9#/0 to request information from advertisers.
Direct & Current
JANUARY 2021
BALMAC TO CLOSE IN 2021. Balmac, Inc., the well-respected Ohio manufacturer, was coming off 40-plus years in the industry but will close in 2021, EA has learned. A “proud U.S. manufacturer” of reliable, cost-effective vibration measurement instrumentation, Balmac started business in 1976 in a plant located in Hilliard, Ohio, and moved to a new, expanded 6,000-square-foot facility in The Balmac, Inc., facility in Plain City, Ohio. —Balmac photo Plain City, Ohio, in 2005 (pictured). Today, Balmac products can still be found around the world in commercial and industrial rotating machinery. The company’s experience and commitment to new product development have resulted in products that are easy to use, accurate, and designed for decades of service. Steve Crawford, Balmac’s vice president, said Balmac intends to close by the first quarter of next year. GET YOUR SAFETY ON. The American Society of Safety Professionals and the National Electrical Contractors Association have signed a threeyear memorandum of understanding that brings the organizations together to advance workplace safety and health in the electrical construction industry, the organizations announced Nov. 2. RESHORING ALONG. Good news: A concept for stimulating the manufacturing industry appears to be succeeding in spite of the pandemic: bringing previously-outsourced jobs back to the U.S. Despite Covid-19, reshoring is up in 2020. Job announcements for 2020 are projected to reach 110,000, which will bring the total since 2010 to more than 1 million by year’s end, according to the latest numbers from the Reshoring Initiative’s Sarasota, Fla., location. MILES FOR MANUFACTURING. The International Manufacturing Technology Show launched a virtual Miles for Manufacturing (M4M) event in October — continuing through March 2021 — in continuation of its annual run to fund community-based STEM and robotics programs to underprivileged students and areas. “Manufacturing companies, schools, families, and friends from across the country are invited to participate in their community, whether they choose to walk, run, stroll, swim, hike, or bike on treadmills, trails, roadways, or waterways,” IMTS said. CHANGES TO MOTOR LEGISLATION. The EU Commission has extended hazardous area motor requirements in Europe. New “ecodesign” requirements are an extension of EU Commission Regulation EC640/2009. The extended regulations call for a 20% to 30% improvement in the energy efficiency of electric motor systems, which it acknowledges are the “most important.” They also establish new requirements for variable frequency-speed drives. — Charlie Barks
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